Kiran Melnyk ‘17

Jagori Grameen, India (2019-21)

Kiran Melnyk graduated in May 2017 with a major in Environmental Studies and a concentration in Peace and Conflict Studies.  At Oberlin, Kiran was a co-organizer and float builder with the Big Parade for three years. Kiran has worked with environmental architects and natural builders, and with non-profits supporting working class Oakland tenants and incarcerated communities in California. Since graduating, Kiran has worked as a youth educator in public schools, private schools, and in city parks. 

As the 2019-2021 Shansi Fellow to Jagori Grameen, he is interested in exploring the intersections of sustainable agriculture and the challenges and strains of development on existing communities. He has worked on documentary projects covering struggles for housing in Oakland, California, the relationship between French winemakers and their farmland, and has carried out field research on land tenure and agricultural practices in the face of mining company land grabs in Madagascar.  Kiran is interested in learning about the role of land and agriculture in shaping community identities. He hopes to continue to engage in fieldwork regarding land management practices and family histories. Kiran looks forward to connecting to his family and cultural heritage as an Indian American living abroad.