The heat has kicked off and so have the associates working for the Office of Sustainability. About two weeks ago, the Office welcomed six new full time summer associates coming from diverse backgrounds. The team consists of three undergraduate students, one graduate student, and two College Prep graduates, a program for first generation college students in the St. Louis area.
In this short time at the office, the summer associates have already learned and accomplished a lot. They visited the Tyson Research Center, touring the site and attending a summer seminar, allowing them to understand how research and sustainability intersect. The team learned and experienced state-of-the-art sustainability features of the Living Learning Center, one of the first certified Living Buildings in the world.
The interns also led a tour of LEED Platinum Hillman Hall for current students in the College Prep program. During the tour they shared their freshly gained knowledge with current high school students about various sustainability features and their importance in the building.
Only two weeks in, the interns have had impactful experiences. “The summer experience has made me more conscious and aware of my own waste management,” senior Brenda Alvarado said.
The summer associate team at the Office of Sustainability is composed of Brenda Alvarado, Noah Hagen, Jacob Plotkin, Kendall Fields, Herman Braggs, Jeremy Wojtak, and Sara Mesiano who all share a similar passion for the environment, but all have different reasons for joining the Office of Sustainability.
But that’s not all! By enrolling in the Office of Sustainability’s summer associate team, students have joined a multi-stakeholder internship program including university partners InCEES (International Center for Energy, Environment and Sustainability), WUCCP (Washington University Climate Change Program), and the Environmental Studies Program. Michelle Patterson, internship and business coordinator, bridges the different entities by providing professional development and enrichment training for all interns on a weekly basis over the summer. Upcoming activities include a green business tour, a workshop on project management, and several public speaking engagements.
To learn more about our internship program, visit our website here.
This article was written by summer associate Kendall Fields.