Cecilia Elsisi '26

CRP Research Project

Community-Led Participatory mapping to Support Watershed Management and Ecosystem Resilience in Nepal

Biography

Cecilia Elsisi '26 is from Northern Virginia, where from as young as she can remember she was involved in various sports and outdoor activities. As an art history major concentrating in built environment studies, Cecilia examines the intersection between human wellbeing and environmental sustainability through a design lens.

Cecilia is a trip leader on campus for W&M Recreation, where she leads various outdoor trips on the weekends for students of all backgrounds in activities from paddling to climbing. She is Vice President of Veggie Society where she strives to create an inclusive welcoming space that supports environmental health and students' mental and physical health through sustainable eating.

Cecilia is passionate about finding the balance between communities, wellbeing, and biodiversity using the Integrative Conservation framework. She applies her skills in the outdoors and passion for connecting with communities around the world to her IIC Conservation Research Program field work and is grateful for the opportunity to learn and engage with local communities in Nepal and the Nepalese partners she is working with.