2025 Student Sustainability Leadership Award Winners Announced
Every year, Boston University recognizes graduating seniors who have gone above and beyond in their commitment to sustainability on campus through the Student Sustainability Leadership Award. This year’s winners Genesis Muñoz (CAS ’25) and Iffany Zou (CAS ’25) have made engaging their fellow students in sustainability key elements of their BU careers. At the Earth & Environment Commencement Ceremonies, BU Sustainability’s Director of Sustainability, Lisa Tornature, presented them with commemorative plaques for their contributions to a more just and sustainable BU. Congratulations, Genesis and Iffany!
Genesis Muñoz:
Unfailingly dedicated to environmental justice and sustainability, Genesis has served in many roles at BU that support her personal mission. As a BU Sustainability intern and ambassador and deputy director of BU Student Government Environmental Affairs, Genesis has demonstrated a keen understanding of how to galvanize student engagement and build awareness around environmental initiatives.
Genesis is compassionate, collaborative, and deeply empathetic, not just toward people, but toward the planet. She leads with kindness and humility and takes a uniquely gentle approach that allows for meaningful connections with fellow students, as well as faculty and staff.
Genesis has taken a hands-on approach to engage with other student leaders within the Environmental Leadership Network and finds ways to make sustainability approachable to all students. Creative by nature and dedicated to serving others, she was co-director of Sharing Ground, a nonprofit startup focused on reducing waste through free and accessible mini libraries-of things. Genesis also created the logo and promotional assets for the Miyawaki Forest project, bringing greater awareness toward the importance of greenery in urban areas. Projects such as these offer public advocacy opportunities and contribute to BU’s sustainability goals.
Whether organizing environmentally-focused events, leading educational activities for new Terriers, or advocating for equitable change, Genesis has been a constant source of guidance, inspiration, and support for her peers. She exemplifies what it means to be a compassionate and thoughtful student sustainability leader.
Iffany Zou:
Iffany has worked to build bridges between people, institutions, and ideas, all while advancing the Climate Action and Zero Waste goals of the University. As the founder and leader of BU Closet, a wildly successful, community-focused, sustainable, fashion organization, she has brought joy to collective climate action all while appealing to diverse senses of style, fashion, and functionality. BU Closet’s swap events reduce textile waste, make thrifting more accessible to students, and contribute to a culture of reuse and repair. Iffany and her team have established a replicable model for the sharing economy for colleges and universities nationally, and have garnered wide-spread acclaim from BU students, faculty, staff, and administrators. In a time when students are looking for actionable solutions to climate change, Iffany took it upon herself to develop a community committed to circularity and waste reduction.
Iffany also served as President of Epsilon Eta, BU’s environmental fraternity, a Kilachand student ambassador, and taught nature-based education across the city through the Boston Outdoor Preschool Network, showcasing her unwavering commitment to sustainability and community.
Starting an organization from scratch takes a creative mind and entrepreneurial approach. What’s more, Iffany is a humble and caring leader, who listens deeply, values diverse perspectives, and leads by example. She makes the hard work look easy and always shares successes with the people around her. It is this collaborative spirit that makes Iffany an innovative student sustainability leader.