Makayla Harmon‑McIntosh, ’27, from the NAU Honors College, is exactly the kind of student Arizona needs. As a future water policy leader, she’s combining a deep love for her home state with hands-on experience in sustainability, environmental data, and campus advocacy.
Harmon‑McIntosh grew up in Phoenix’s West Valley—a region once known for its farmland but now characterized by rapid suburban development. As open fields gave way to housing and retail centers, the environmental impacts became increasingly visible.
In 2023, Arizona’s Department of Water Resources reported the groundwater basin that supplies much of the West Valley was projected to fall short of its legally required 100-year water supply by more than four million acre-feet. That finding led the state to restrict new groundwater-dependent development in the area—highlighting the growing strain on Arizona’s most essential resource.
“I saw a lot of things like that, and it really concerned me,” said Harmon‑McIntosh.
Now a sophomore majoring in Environmental and Sustainability Studies at Northern Arizona University and a student in the Honors College, Harmon‑McIntosh is turning concern into action. She serves as treasurer of the NAU Green Fund—a student-led committee that allocates over $600,000 annually from the university’s sustainability fee to support projects that reduce NAU’s environmental footprint. In that role, she helps oversee budgets for campus-wide projects such as converting gas-burning fireplaces to electric and expanding composting operations at the NAU’s south campus greenhouse.
She also helped launch USEFULL—Arizona’s first mandatory reusable container program at university dining venues—through the committee’s ongoing sponsorship. Backed by Green Fund pilot funding, USEFULL is projected to divert more than 25,000 pounds of single-use plastic annually from the landfill. Harmon‑McIntosh also serves as vice president of NAU’s chapter of the Food Recovery Network.
One of her most transformative experiences came through the highly competitive National Geographic x Nature Conservancy Global Externship—a selective, eight-week program that draws about 10,000 applicants per cycle, with only 100 students selected.
Through the externship, Harmon‑McIntosh was invited to attend the world’s largest annual GIS conference. There, she connected with experts using geospatial technology to address global challenges in water policy and environmental justice.
Her time at NAU has helped her see the future with hope and a clear sense of direction. “I didn’t know what I’d get out of the Honors College at first, but it’s been amazing,” she said.
“The professors are passionate, the students are driven, and I feel like I’m part of a community that really supports each other.”
That support has extended to scholarships, which have played a vital role in her success. Harmon‑McIntosh is a recipient of the Garcia Family Scholarship, which supports high-achieving students in the Honors College. She also receives the Lumberjack Scholarship, a merit-based award that covers full tuition for Arizona residents, and a scholarship from the School of Earth and Sustainability.
“Without that support, I would’ve been emotionally distressed and constantly worried about money,” she said. “Instead, I feel taken care of. I can enjoy my studies and focus on the work I care about. I’m so thankful.”
Looking ahead, she plans to stay in Arizona and pursue a career in water policy and GIS. “I want to help with the allocation of water from the Colorado River,” she said. “That’s the goal—to make as big of an impact as humanly possible.”
