Nyla Howell is a senior at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). As a UMBC Ronald E. McNair Scholar, she is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in geography and sociology. Howell has interned at her county office of emergency management and Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Individual and Community Preparedness Division, as well as serving as a co-chair of FEMA's National Youth Preparedness Council from 2017 to 2019. Throughout these experiences, Howell developed a deeper interest in hazard preparedness, social vulnerability, and community resilience. During her undergraduate studies, she has had the opportunity to engage in business climate resilience research at Rutgers University and disaster health research at UMBC. Currently, she is a 2023 summer scholar for the National Science Foundation Coastal Hazards, Equity, Economic Prosperity, and Resilience (CHEER) Hub led by the University of Delaware and East Carolina University. In the future, Howell hopes to pursue a PhD focusing on hazard studies and work with historically underserved communities to promote equitable hazard preparedness and community resilience programs.