Daniel Carrión (’08) is a proud Nuyorican who grew up in the Bronx. A place where his early life was shaped by movement, noise and community such as music spilling out of open apartment and car windows, and quick conversations on street corners. He soon moved to Westchester, where the streets were quieter, and the environment felt different. This is where he began to realize how much an environment could shape a person’s daily life.
Daniel arrived at Ithaca College in 2004. He thought he had a plan as an Exploratory Pathways student, where he would switch to majoring in music. But plans change. One semester, he enrolled in an introductory environmental science course taught by a professor whose passion for the course made the material feel alive. What started as a curiosity became something deeper. He took more classes in environmental science and started taking courses focusing on social inequality and toxicology; these courses reshaped how he saw the world. Through a class at Ithaca College, Daniel had the opportunity to go to the Dominican Republic (D.R.) and study the environmental implications of free trade agreements. Over the summer, Daniel also worked with the Office of Sustainability, focusing on food waste on Ithaca College’s campus. He also spent some time at the Cayuga Lake Watershed Network.
After graduating in 2008, Daniel pursued a Master’s in Public Health at New York Medical College, determined to link environmental issues with human health. This pathway led him to Columbia University, where he spent three years working with students interested in public health. Colleagues of his saw his potential and encouraged him to get his PhD, Daniel pursued his PhD at Columbia University where he applied everything he learned throughout the years.
Air pollution, the effects of urban heat islands, epidemiology, energy transitions, and environmental justice, topics that were once abstract, are now central to his work. Today, Daniel teaches about the intersection of climate change and public health at Yale University; his favorite role is mentoring. He sees himself in his students: the curiosity, uncertainty, and the search for direction. He encourages them, especially Latino students in STEM, to speak up, to connect their lived experiences to what they learn, and to claim their space. “Be flexible”, he says to those who are unsure of what comes next. “Stay open-minded. Find your purpose. Life is a journey.”
