Rahan Chavda’s work is wild in the best way. An alum of Washington Univsersity of St. Louis, he now spends his days coordinating the ethical butchering of invasive species in the Everglades and Caribbean. Removing species like Burmese pythons and Lionfish helps to restore ecosystems—healing land and sea, and transforming the invaders into something valuable.
Rahan Chavda wears a belt made of Burmese python leather
The leather made from these invasive species has many uses, including high-end fashion. Rahan’s leather has been featured as handbags, shoes, jackets on the runways of Milan.
Invasive Species Leathers
We needed a quick turnaround on Rahan’s story, so a trip to the Everglades wasn’t possible. We instead met up at the tide pools south of San Francisco and photographed in front of botanical invaders on the cliffs.
Rahan Chavda for WashU Magazine
The imagery needed to hold a lot at once: ecological urgency, the physicality of his work, the beauty of the land at risk. We weren’t just capturing a job—we were telling a story about values, ingenuity, and impact.
For Washington University, these kinds of stories help shift the conversation about what a degree can lead to. It’s not always a straight line—and that’s the point. Graduates like Rahan are finding ways to bridge disciplines, challenge norms, and build careers that are both grounded and far-reaching.
Photography helps translate that complexity, making a story’s themes visible and giving shape to the connection between education and action, between personal passion and collective good. When it’s done with care, it doesn’t just illustrate the story—it becomes part of how it’s told.