Tristan Irwin is a joint degree candidate in the Master in Public Policy and Master of Forestry programs at Yale University. She is interested in climate policy, renewable energy, natural climate solutions, and the intersection of environmental and social justice. Tristan is a nine-year veteran of the Army, where she served as a Transportation Officer and later as a special operations Civil Affairs Officer. As a Civil Affairs Team Chief, she led a four-person team in Moldova, assessing civil conditions in under-engaged Moldovan regions and conducting community-level development assistance to strengthen resilience against foreign malign influence. Tristan graduated from the United States Military Academy in 2012 with a BS in International Relations and a BS in German. After Yale, Tristan is interested in climate policy work supporting organizations that are creating tangible change, addressing both climate change and the social and economic disparities that climate change worsens.