Megan Cassingham (she/they) grew up in Shreveport, Louisiana, and is a recent graduate of the University of Southern California (USC) with a PhD in inorganic chemistry. Her graduate research focused on materials development and discovery for solar applications. Cassingham’s dedication to advocacy and education extended to her role representing the graduate student population as a bargaining team member to secure the first academic union contract in USC’s history. She is particularly interested in energy policy and implementing green energy solutions to combat climate change.