Onteya Zachary, Midwest-aficionado and Ph.D. graduate student in Geography at the University of Minnesota, is enthusiastic about both creative and academic writing and the transformative potentialities of collaborative research. Grounded by her layered upbringing across Chicago’s South Side and Northwest Indiana, her work draws on black, feminist, and urban geographic theory to examine the intersections of race, craft beer culture, and environmental (in)justice. In 2025, Onteya’s proposal investigating these themes received honorable recognition from the NSF GRFP. Onteya is committed to research that is not only rigorous but also collaborative and imaginative. When not working, she can be found curled up with her Kindle and one of her two cats, on spontaneous outdoor adventures, or catching up with family and friends. She is eager and looking forward to her time as a 2025 Black Midwest Initiative Fellow.