[1] Gatheru was born to Kenyan immigrants and raised in the rural area of Pomfret, Connecticut,[1][2] She became interested in climate activism at 15 and took classes in environmental science.
[6] She earned her Master's from the University of Oxford in nature, society and environmental governance.
[7] Gatheru sought to advocate for Black women and non-binary people through writing and public speaking.
[10] She was the board chair at the Environmental Media Association[11] Gatheru was recognized as a Young Futurist by The Root in 2020, a Grist 50 FIXER, and Glamour College Woman of the Year.
Chan School of Public Health,[15] became a member of the first-ever National Environmental Youth Advisory Council at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,[16] and won a Trailblazer Award at Verdical Group's annual Net Zero Conference.