Sylvia Trendafilova was chosen by the Committee on the Campus Environment as the November Sustainability Champion. Trendafilova is an Associate Professor in the Kinesiology, Recreation & Sport Studies Department, and has been working at UT since August 2008. This month Trendafilova had multiple nominations, showing how deserving she is of this award.
This semester, she focused her course projects around sustainable sports management. She teaches 20 graduate and doctoral students in the RSM 554 – Environmental Sustainability in Sport course and had her students do an assessment on sustainability marketing and operations in the athletic facilities and at events.
Throughout the semester she brought in several guest speakers from around the U.S. to help educate the class on how to influence change as sport managers. She also had the whole class come up with sustainability goals for the semester and routinely checks in on their progress
“She has changed all of the students’ lives to care more about the environment. She pushes us to be better people and treat the environment with care.”, said one nomination. Another student wrote that “the passion and joy for teaching others about sustainability trumps that of any professor teaching a topic in their field. Sylvia truly wants to build a foundation in this generation of college students to start making the world a more sustainable place.”.
One submission simply said “She’s the reason there is sustainability in the world.”
Congratulations to Professor Trendafilova who really defines what it means to be a Sustainability Champion!
Get to know more about Sylvia:
Hometown: Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Alma mater: University of Texas at Austin
Favorite outdoor activity: hiking, running, biking
Favorite Quote: “Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school.” – Albert Einstein
Favorite thing about UT: I really enjoy interacting with students. It is very rewarding when I see the passion they have for the environment and how they are willing to take small steps to contribute to sustainability. Coming to work every day is a joy!
As a monthly award, we are now accepting nominations for the December Sustainability Champion. To nominate someone click the link: December Sustainability Champion.