Tanasia
“For me being a woman is equivalent to being the earth: We can bear life, we evolve, we’re versatile and we’re always in motion.”
Tanasia is a passionate environmentalist and marine enthusiast who is making a crucial difference in her community, juggling a wide range of projects all at once. As a Field Station Manager for the Billion Oyster Project, she is helping to restore oyster reefs in New York Harbor through education and volunteer efforts. She is also the founder of Water Women NYC, a group that invites and encourages women to get involved in underwater exploration and aquatic initiatives. Her calm nature and dependable demeanor make her a great leader in the environmental sustainability space, as she works to provide urban communities with access to healthy ecosystems. Meet Tanasia. This is her story.
K: Please introduce yourself!
T: My name is Tanasia Swift. I'm from Brooklyn, NY, I’m an environmentalist, marine enthusiast, swimmer, knitter, and SCUBA diver amongst other things.
K: Describe yourself in your own words
T: I feel like I am a person who's really thoughtful. I enjoy thoughtful conversations and knowledge sharing. I have a strong community of people who I learn so much from and who support my work. I’m grateful for that. I tend to be more of a lone wolf: I do things that bring me joy even if it means doing it alone. I'm passionate about peace of mind, equity, youth development, environmentalism, and marine science.
K: What is your favorite thing about yourself?
T: I believe I have the patience of a saint! It sometimes surprises me how calm I can be in stressful situations. I’ve gone through various types of emergency training mostly because of my work on water. The ocean can be very powerful. It has the ability to be very soothing but can sweep you away in an instant. When you’re going through any emergency training, you need to be able to think clearly and act quickly. In order to do that you have to be calm. I've been able to adopt that mindset in many facets of my life. I get anxious about lots of things but the fact that I can balance that out with my calm demeanor makes a huge difference. I also love my sense of humor! Laughter makes you feel young and joyful. With so much chaos happening in this world, we all need a good laugh.
K: Tells us a story. Have you had an experience that has defined you or made you stronger?
T: In 2012, I was studying Environmental Studies in college, learning about sustainable living, environmentally friendly habits, human impacts, and I had just turned vegetarian about a year prior. I was really ingrained in becoming an environmentalist. Some weekends, I would come back home to NYC. I was living on campus in college, but back home I lived in “the projects” or New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA). The living conditions in NYCHA facilities are not great! I was frustrated by so many things in my surroundings: the trash in the elevators, the violence, water waste, individuals who needed mental health assistance, and the poor treatment of the people who lived there. I just did not want to be in this environment anymore.
I lived on the 10th floor. Some days I'd sit and look out the window at this empty lot across the street. I had this obsession with off the grid homes. I would always fantasize about turning that lot into an off the grid home. I remember thinking “what if more people in NYC knew about sustainable living?” That sparked a lightbulb moment! I wanted to bring sustainable initiatives into urban living. Since then, I’ve made it one of my life's missions to bridge the gap between urban communities and sustainable living! Everyone should have the right to clean water, clean air, and outdoor space. And if we don’t have it, we should have the tools that we need to advocate for it! Any information or resources that I absorb, I'm bringing it back to my community!
K: What is one piece of advice you would give to your younger self?
T: “Just because it's hard, doesn’t mean that it isn’t for you.” This is a quote that was shared by Dr. Jame McCray, who’s a Coastal Ecologist. When she said this, it almost brought me to tears because I thought about all of the difficult times I've gone through on my journey to wanting to become a marine biologist. I remember taking a marine mammals course and it was one of the hardest courses that I’ve ever taken. I was so excited about his course in the beginning. I sat right at the front of the class- ready to dive in! There were so many scientific names, and jargon, and evolutionary timelines that I just could not remember for the life of me. I think it hurt even more when I wasn’t doing well because this was something I was supposed to be good at! At least that's what I thought. I am proud of myself for continuing to push through but I wish I hadn’t beat myself up so much when I didn’t do well.
K: What does being a woman mean to you?
T: I would start by saying that being a woman is whatever a woman wants to be. For me being a woman is equivalent to being the earth: We can bear life, we evolve, we’re versatile and we’re always in motion.
K: Who is one woman that inspires you? What would you say to them if they were here now?
T: Claressa Shields! I know that may be far from an answer anyone would expect me to give but I admire her so much! Claressa is a professional boxer from Flint, Michigan, and went to the Olympics when she was just 17 years old! It’s inspiring to see young black girls who grew up impoverished, thrive in fields that may not be as accepting! She’s also an advocate for clean water in Flint. What's even more powerful about her is that she's unapologetic about who she is! She's very confident and she makes it known. I’ve learned not to dilute myself to make others feel comfortable. Bring your full self to the table, and you will naturally attract the people who are meant to be in your life.