Warren Gunn (MS/MPP ’25) is a dual-degree student at the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) and the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy. He is specialized in Sustainability and Development (SusDev) at SEAS and graduated in May. 

What is your background?

I came to SEAS straight from undergrad but took a circuitous path to get to the end of my undergraduate degree. I attended college right out of high school but did not complete my first degree and ended up working in operations and marketing for a few years before deciding I wanted to return to school. I wanted to get into sustainable technologies and first attended Portland State University, where I got my BS in mechanical engineering. I had the intention of going right into a master’s program after that degree. 

Why did you choose SEAS and the SusDev specialization?

I mainly chose SEAS because it is so interdisciplinary. Many of the programs that I looked at were highly developed and specialized, and at that point in my education, I wasn’t quite sure where I would fit into the sustainability space. I knew I had the technical and engineering skills for research and working with technology, but I wasn’t sure that was what I wanted to do. The diversity of specializations and coursework at SEAS has helped me to figure that out and taught me how to think in more solutions-oriented ways. I chose to be in SusDev because I was most interested in the research those faculty were doing and felt like it fit into my background and interests. Being in this specialization gave me a robust understanding of what kinds of sustainability conversations are happening internationally and how different forms of research fit into these conversations. 

What has your SEAS experience been like?

I am a dual-degree student at SEAS and the Ford School. Being a SEAS student has pushed me to focus on solutions-oriented programs to address problems, while at Ford, I learned more about evaluating policies that were previously implemented. Both of these skills complemented each other, and I learned so much from being in both programs that I wouldn’t have been able to learn from just one. I also participated in the SEAS mentorship program, where I made valuable professional connections through networking and internship opportunities. Because of the strength of the SEAS alumni network, I have been able to email alums and gain insight from their experiences.

In my capstone project at SEAS, I had the opportunity to work with a very strong team with diverse skill sets. We partnered with the SEAS Sustainability Clinic and the City of Detroit, and because of the nature of working with a local government, we learned a lot about how politics shift depending on funding and priorities. Being in this role gave us real-world experience of what it’s like to work in environmental consulting and local government. In the end, our team ended up focusing on community solar, which aligns well with my professional interests. 

Would you recommend SEAS to incoming students?

With all of the disruptions happening right now, I’d emphasize the range of valuable assets SEAS has provided. One of the strengths of SEAS is not only in the courses you take or research you do but also in the community you build. I think it’s important for incoming students to know that the other members of their cohort are all here to make a positive impact on the world. What that work looks like is constantly shifting, but at SEAS, there are a lot of opportunities to get involved both in and out of the classroom.

What will you do after graduation? 

After graduation, I have a full-time offer with the Green Energy Justice Cooperative. This organization is a cooperatively owned, community solar collective based in Chicago that is currently developing three rooftop solar projects in the Greater Chicago area.  I interned with them while I was at SEAS and was particularly excited about the justice component of the work. In my role, I will be doing a lot of marketing and strategy work. Still, because it is a small startup, I have been involved in many different components of their work and gotten to combine my experiences in engineering and operations. I am most excited about working with a renewable energy developer who is so focused on energy justice because this organization is one of the first to do this kind of work.