Anyieth Philip Ayuen knows all too well the devastation climate disasters and food insecurity can bring to vulnerable communities. Ayuen was raised in South Sudan and lived as a refugee in Uganda for 10 years after civil war broke out. In Uganda, with a scholarship from the U.N. Refugee Agency, he studied agriculture and crop science at Bugema University and began working as a farmer. But after watching changing weather patterns and floods destroy all of his crops during one season, Ayuen knew he had more to learn.
Now, Ayuen is completing an M.A. in Climate and Society from the Columbia Climate School, where he was chosen as the 2025 student speaker for Class Day. In the Q&A below, he discusses his goal of elevating communities out of poverty and addressing world hunger, what he’s learned from his studies and the message he hopes his classmates will carry with them into the world.
Last we spoke, you were just starting the M.A. in Climate and Society program. Looking back, what has your experience been like this year?
I think my expectations have been met and beyond. I never envisioned this kind of journey, though it was challenging at times. There is a very big difference between the education system here and in Africa. I remember thinking, am I really up to the standards of Columbia? I had imposter syndrome at first.
But I came here with a goal of positioning myself in the space of climate adaptation and resilience. I was also passionate about food systems because of the experiences I had with hunger and seeing so many people suffer and be displaced, and seeing the effect of climate change on several sectors, including food, energy and water systems. I was compelled to learn how to address these issues. I think I have gained the knowledge I need to be able to position myself as an architect for solutions in adaptation and resilience.
Serving in leadership roles at Columbia Climate School this year and representing students has also been dear to me. Attending meetings, talking with the deans, and adding my voice to the planning of classes for the next cohort makes me feel I have contributed to the growth and development of Columbia Climate School.
“We are a cohort with a global reach, and if we stick together, if we communicate and encourage each other, we can change the world.”
Which courses will you remember most?
Climate Adaptation, taught by Lisa Dale, and Climate Change Law and Policy, helped me understand loss and damages, policies set by the intergovernmental organizations, the roles of different agencies and who you need to talk to in order to change things. Dynamics of Climate Variability and Climate Change helped me understand the science behind climate changes, especially in extreme events. One of the best courses I took last semester was Disasters and Development with John Mutter. I learned that some disasters can increase economic growth and development during post-disaster recovery, which was shocking. But we have also seen so many developing countries struggle with recovery after being struck by a disaster.
Universal Food Security with Glenn Denning taught me how countries and regions can attain food security, which is a vital piece of development—without food security, your country will never be stable. Jessica Fanzo and Ruth DeFries’ class, Food Systems and Climate Interaction, highlighted the double burden of malnutrition and undernourishment in countries that are developing and also in developed countries, and the fact that no country has attained food security based on a universally accepted definition. And Climate Mitigation by Lisa Sachs taught me about decarbonization and net-zero targets. I can say I had a holistic education here at the Climate School.
I also want to congratulate you on being selected as the student speaker for Class Day. How did that feel?
I think this is the biggest honor of my life. I think I’m one of the few privileged people at this moment, which I’ve rarely been able to say because I was raised in an environment where success was something you would rarely see. Because of determination, hard work and resilience—core values I believe were instilled in me from a young age—I am honored to represent the class.
What message do you plan to share with your classmates?
James Hansen, a pioneering climate scientist and professor at Columbia, said in one of his talks that we cannot simply pass the issue of climate change to the next generation; we have to take responsibility and rise to the challenge. And I decided to build my speech on this idea. I reached out to him recently and he told me, ‘young people have more power than they seem to realize, and they will need to use that power.’ He has so much faith in us, especially this cohort from the Climate School.
Some questions I may ask my classmates: Whose voices do you want to amplify and lift? What will you fight for? What are you going to do to build a future that is not only sustainable but also just and equitable?
We must be agents of change in the world, in terms of how we envision our efforts to change the narrative and the status quo of climate action. I believe we are a cohort with a global reach and if we stick together, if we communicate and encourage each other, we can change the world.
Do you know what you plan to do next?
This semester, I’ve been working as a research assistant at the National Center for Disaster Preparedness with an amazing supervisor, Josh DeVincenzo. Next, I plan to do an internship.
After graduation, my goal is to work with intergovernmental organizations such as the U.N. that are positioned to champion climate adaptation and resilience in communities. I would like to serve in organizations related to food systems and poverty alleviation. I want to champion sustainable development in marginalized communities or in communities that are vulnerable to disasters. I am excited for the opportunity to serve people in developing countries who are not yet in the conversation of climate mitigation, adaptation strategies and resilience policies. I believe my career will be geared toward solving hunger and helping people out of poverty by building better and more resilient livelihood sources for them.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
While I was studying at the Climate School, one of the things I would do at night is champion change in refugee communities. I have an organization called the Dongriin Foundation, which we co-founded in Uganda. I would use some of my night hours to talk to people back home, mentor students online and talk to the people who are losing hope in the refugee settlements. I am working to position them to adapt climate-smart agriculture methods and technologies to be able to practice farming as well as encourage them to use education as a way to transform society and change their lives.
As global citizens, we need to support the refugees and displaced people. Many of them are suffering because of cuts and dwindling funds to U.N. agencies and other agencies such as refugee-led and community-based organizations. No one chooses to be a refugee and no one chooses to be displaced. As I was a refugee less than a year ago, I can attest that supporting organizations like the World Food Program, Food and Agriculture Organization and others that are delivering relief services is something the world must do at this moment.
