Jessa Orluk

I'm a freshly-minted graduate of Hampshire College in Amherst, MA and lifelong resident of Western Massachusetts. Currently, I am employed by Hampshire College and the Environmental and Reproductive Justice Fellow at the Population and Development program. After my year-long fellowship, I hope to attend law school.

My studies at Hampshire focused on political ecology--questions about how natural and political resources are divided in America drove me crazy. They still do. In my senior year, I wrote a thesis questioning the criminalization of enivronmentalism by exploring 'Ag-Gag' laws (which prohibit photography on animal enterprises like factory farms, or even pet stores) and the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act. Through my academic explorations, I found a great intrigue with 'The Law' -- where theory and reality come together in often unjust but powerful ways. This clash of worlds has such potential for positive change, after much deliberation and a big surrender to crushing student loan debt I committed myself to pursuing a law.

However, my greatest challenge at the moment is attempting to forge my own path through the simplest things in life--grocery stores, bank accounts, being a young womyn in a political climate not-so-nice to young womyn, coming to terms with my conservative upbringing and my decidedly progressive politics, and balancing the huge pressure to overachieve while sustaining my emotional, mental and physical health. All of these were a factor in becoming the proud owner of my own blog, Life Talk.

Outside of all these things, I enjoy gardening, DIY projects, cooking, good conversation and roadtrips. I value honesty, friendship and compassion above all things.