An Interview with Analyah Schlaeger dos Santos '13

Alumni Office (AO): Analyah, can you introduce yourself to our readers? Share your name, graduation year, college/university, and where you are now.

Analyah Schlaeger dos Santos (ASdS): Absolutely! My name is Analyah Schlaeger dos Santos, and I was in the Class of 2013. I started at Breck when I was three years old and left when I was sixteen, right before my junior year, when I moved to Atlanta, Georgia. I attended the University of Minnesota for college, and now, I'm happy to be back in the community here in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

AO: That's great, and now you work for Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light. Can you share what your roles entail and the positive impact your work is having on the community and worldwide?

ASdS: Absolutely. I have a long title, but it's fitting! I am the Environmental Justice Youth Program Director and Global Climate Justice Coordinator with MNIPL. In addition to that, as of this year, I'm the co-chair of the International Policy Committee for the U.S. Climate Action Network, the lead organizer for Climate Reparations Camp in the United States, and I'm now leading a campaign called Shift US. I have the pleasure of serving in many roles.

I was hired to create summer camps and developed my youth program called Youth Empower. For the last six years, this program has trained young people to become community organizers who operate through the lens of environmental justice. This program originally sought to serve youth in my community from North Minneapolis and expanded immediately to South Minneapolis, working with young people year-round. It's a year-round, apprenticeship-modeled program that truly puts adults and youth in a position where we can learn and work alongside each other.

It was also really important that we pay young people to learn about all of these things as we're working together. So, I had the opportunity to work with Step Up through the city, providing first jobs and workforce development training for young people. This has become a model that a lot of folks in other states and countries have asked me about, which has been really exciting to know that people want to do things like this. I have youth apprentices—eleven in total. They certainly drive me up a wall, yet I love them, and they keep me very humble. I've got nine in Minnesota, one in New York, and one in Texas. Having apprentices who want to learn what it means to be a community organizer, regardless of what job they pursue, has been a blessing I get to be a part of.

AO: That’s amazing! You also serve as the Chairperson of the Board at V3 Sports, which is also in North Minneapolis. Can you share about V3 and what the organization is looking to accomplish?

ASdS: Absolutely. I'm probably the most excited spokesperson for V3 because I came out of V3, and I've been with this organization for 21 years. V3 Sports was my first swim team. I actually swam at V3 from seventh through tenth grade. The idea for the V3 Center came out of the reality that we didn't have enough places to swim year-round; we didn't have consistent pools that were safe, and we didn't have places to run and bike. We are truly rooted in ensuring that everyone who is a part of this community is also a part of changing the reality for our community.

AO: That's incredible! So, now we're talking about speaking engagements, and you've been all over the world. What have you learned working with people from various countries and various places around the United States?

ASdS: For work, I've actually made it so that my role includes travel, which is a huge blessing in and of itself. It allows me to not only cultivate my role and work experience to get things done but also to be in a situation I'm proud of and excited to lean into. That's made it so I love what I do, and I love the spaces I get to be in.

What I've learned about working with people from various countries is that we have a few really significant things happening globally. We're dealing with a lot of division—political, ideological, and rhetorical—but we're also truly experiencing what some folks call spiritual warfare. This means disconnection—we're disconnected from each other, we're disconnected from our community, and we're disconnected from purpose. So, we have to find our way back to that, which is really difficult and unfamiliar.

AO: Breck was very fortunate to have you come speak during Environmental Day. What were some highlights for you in coming back to Breck and being here to share with students?

ASdS: It was really special to me to see the halls filled with students, especially as an adult working with young people. I didn't expect to be immediately brought back into what it feels like to be a student and to be a kid learning about the things we were learning about. I think a lot of Breck's pedagogy makes it clear that we value you as a student. We value your intention; we want you to show up fully. Being thrust back into that mindset, knowing what I know now, felt really special. Also, Environmental Day didn't exist when I went there. So, to be invited back to speak on something that is now part of our reality, in a space where it wasn't as much of a reality when I was there, it just feels like a full-circle moment.

AO: That's awesome! What are you listening to or reading right now and why?

ASdS: I'm not a huge podcast listener, but I'm always listening to music. I always say the ADHD that lives inside of me is fueled by constant music.

AO: Okay, last question. What was your favorite lunch at Breck back in the day?

ASdS: This is a hilarious question to ask. I think it has to be Lasagna roll-ups! It's so simple, yet so effective and so expansive. Yes, it's just lasagna in a roll. But have I ever found it after leaving Breck? No. Have I recreated it myself? No. Is it one meal from Breck that I got the most excited about? Yes!