Student and Alumni Spotlight

What type of experience did you gain during your time as a SEAS student?

I worked as a research assistant for Professor Arun Agrawal for his project focused on exploring recruiting practices and in-demand skills in the field of sustainability. It was a qualitative research study to understand and evaluate the sustainability job market landscape. This gave me an opportunity to interview corporate sustainability officers at Fortune 500s, mid-cap companies, and federal and state agencies, asking questions around the organization/agency mission and initiatives, the sustainability market landscape, and recruiting and hiring practices. I started during the summer and continued into the semester. I had taken courses on research methodology for both qualitative and quantitative studies and had a chance to put those skills to good use. 

What type of master’s project did you work on? 

“Overcoming Barriers to Accessing Climate Knowledge for Women in Samoa and Vanuatu.” The project has three clients: the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the United Nations Environment Programme’s Global Adaptation Network (GAN) and GAN’s regional node and the Australia Pacific Climate Partnership. The aim of this research project is to promote equitable access to and utilization of climate information services and early warning systems in Samoa and Vanuatu, with particular attention to the diverse needs of vulnerable populations. It also seeks to identify best practices for the effective dissemination of climate information. I am a part of an all-women team of six coming from varied educational and cultural backgrounds. We decided we would divide all our tasks as equitably as possible, thus we were able to learn different skills along the way. We spent the summer carrying out interviews for the different stakeholders that we had identified—government members, civil society, NGOs and the community. We then put the data collected together for analysis and the report/deliverables.

Which classes were most beneficial during your first year?

For BEC, my favorite course was Behavior and Environmental Localization, which was good for setting the stage into the BEC field. Another favorite course was Social Vulnerability and Adaptation, which was great for vulnerability assessment and international perspectives of research. 

For EPP, my favorite course was Environmental Policy and Politics, which involved memo writing. Another favorite course was Energy Markets and Politics, which was a hard but good class. Take classes in other tracks and schools that focus on skills (i.e., Sustainable Development I & II, Environmental Systems Analysis, Industrial Ecology, and Climate Finance).

How did you find community and get involved at SEAS?

Go to SEAS events and specialization events. People are friendly and will include you. Working with a professor also provides a group to interact with. Join an organization such as Climate Blue or other student organizations like the Energy Club (at U-M Ross).

How has Career Services been useful for you during your time at SEAS?

I am eternally grateful for the people in Career Services for their patience. You can go to them with the same question or with a hundred different questions; they will help you get everything you need. They will provide support and even follow up with you after, which is so helpful to keep on track. All of the workshops and trainings are very well planned and cover everything one can need, and there is always a follow up with every resource on there. 

What advice would you share with first-year students at SEAS?

Talk to people. Imposter syndrome is real but you are not the only one feeling it. Find multiple mentors. The more perspectives, the more information and ideas you have. Seek them out by reaching out to professors across specializations and schools, and even alumni. Try and work backwards: What are the kinds of jobs and/or fields you see yourself in? What are the skills and knowledge needed for that field? What professors, courses or projects resonate with all that? Most importantly, even if you do not do any of these things, just be present and take in what you can. There is no point worrying about the future or regretting decisions taken in the past. Be present in the things you are doing, and just take that in. Things will work out and fall into place eventually, promise! Feel free to reach out.

What type of experience did you gain during your time as a SEAS student?

I was an intern for the Great Lakes Renewable Energy Association during the summer of 2022. Through this position, I worked on educating homeowners, businesses, sustainability groups, and local city officials on the benefits of solar energy and promoting the statewide GLREA Solarize Program. The Solarize Program is a group-buy program that lowers the cost of buying solar and fosters community relationship-building. I also worked on the soon-to be-published “Michigan Guide to Community Solar” as a researcher, writer, and editor. It will be used at the local level of government to help cities transition to renewable energy or to aid cities in meeting renewable energy goals. At the completion of the internship, I was offered a part-time job to continue the work during the school year.

What type of master’s project did you work on? 

I am in a traditional capstone project titled “Mapping Environmental Justice and Community Resiliency in Southwest Detroit.” My client is the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) in the Office of the Environmental Justice Public Advocate (OEJPA), and our work has been focused on two main deliverables. The first is creating a list of policy recommendations for a community resiliency plan for the 48217 zip code of Southwest Detroit. These recommendations were informed by 20 community interviews and contain recommendations on remediating air and soil pollution, addressing environmental racism, and advocating for stricter regulations of the industry in the area. 

The second deliverable is creating a geographic information system (GIS) module specific to the 48217 zip code to be incorporated into the Michigan Environmental Justice Screening Tool (MiEJScreen). This has included collecting, cleaning, and incorporating data that is specific to the area to be used in the tool for future decision-making in environmental justice communities. My role has involved a little bit of everything, including quantitative and qualitative data collection through GIS work and conducting interviews, facilitating internal meetings, and contributing to the writing of our initial research proposal and our final report. 

Which classes were most beneficial during your first year?

For environmental policy, EAS 562: Environmental Policy and Politics was super beneficial to me. You gain a good understanding of the political system as it relates to climate and also learn skills in writing policy briefs and memos. For environmental justice, EAS 529: Indigenous Sustainability and Environmental Justice was foundational in building my justice and equity critical-thinking skills as well as building my understanding of Indigenous communities and EJ practices that are relevant across all disciplines and subjects. 

How did you find community and get involved at SEAS?

I found community at SEAS by attending events put on by my specializations like trivia nights or happy hours, intentionally connecting with my capstone group by getting dinner together every now and then, and going to other events put on by student groups that highlight research or other passion projects.  

How has Career Services been useful for you during your time at SEAS?

Career Services has been so helpful to me in about 100 different ways! I attend workshops regularly, including those on interview skills, resume building, and negotiation skills. All the resources Career Services provides have been especially helpful to me during my job search, such as the Connecting with Alumni and Employers Guide, the Cover Letter Guide, and the Interview Prep Guide. I also have had 1:1 counseling experiences with both of my specialization counselors to help tailor my resume and cover letter for different audiences. I have saved all the most helpful guides to my Google drive and bookmarked the Career Services website on my computer so I can have easy access to all the great resources whenever I need them.

What advice would you share with first-year students at SEAS?

I have three pieces of advice. The first is to be patient with yourself. Grad school can feel like a big transition whether you are coming straight from undergrad or have been working for awhile. Lean on your support system of friends, your academic and career advisors, and your track leaders to help ease the transition. It's okay to ask for help! My second piece of advice would be to take classes outside of SEAS. There is a whole world out there of interesting topics and incredible professors that can help build upon the core curriculum at SEAS. Two of my favorite classes were taken at the Ford School: PubPol 717 on Social Activism and PubPol 564 on Government Regulation of Industry and the Environment. My last piece of advice is to intentionally choose your capstone experience. Putting in the time to reflect on your own interests and goals will help the year and a half of work feel exciting and fulfilling versus dreadful and annoying.

What type of experience did you gain during your time as a SEAS student?

In between years at SEAS, I interned with Denver Water in environmental planning, where I designed planning procedures and policies for a new public fishing area, and helped produce reports and plans for water infrastructure projects. Prior to SEAS, I came directly from my undergrad at Colorado State University. While there, I worked as a statistics tutor and a technician in a fisheries ecology lab. 

What type of master’s project did you work on? 

I’m working on a traditional group project capstone. We are working with The Wilderness Society to survey the current status of irrecoverable carbon in the U.S. (where it is, how much there is, who owns/manages it, how protected it is), determine the greatest risks to losing irrecoverable carbon, and provide policy recommendations for increasing the protection of irrecoverable carbon. I manage the GIS and data science aspects of the project, which largely revolve around surveying the current status of irrecoverable carbon. I compile and combine datasets, design and perform analyses, and communicate the results with visualizations and descriptive statistics. 

Which classes were most beneficial during your first year?

The bread-and-butter EPP courses (562 and 570) were essential for orienting myself in the environmental policy world, and giving me the foundation and frameworks to think critically about barriers/pathways to solving environmental issues I’m interested in. Outside of SEAS, taking Natural Resources Law through the Law School was very impactful. Learning to think through law like a lawyer is a critical skill, and the course greatly improved my understanding of why and how federal environmental laws work, as well as how they could change in the future. 

How did you find community and get involved at SEAS?

Honestly, everyone was so friendly when I first got here, it felt like the community came to me! I just tried to engage with events I was interested in and found community in people who shared interests with me. I really cannot overemphasize the kindness of SEAS students though. 

How has Career Services been useful for you during your time at SEAS?

All of my experiences with counselors (including peer counselors) have been top notch! I also appreciated the help with networking through various channels like the Career Trek, Alumni Coffee Chats, and SEASnet. 

What advice would you share with first-year students at SEAS?

Don't be afraid to take courses outside of SEAS! It can be really insightful to get an entirely different perspective on your interests from a different field (grant writing from the School of Social Work, programming from the Statistics Department, law courses from the Law School, etc.)

Take advantage of your resources as a student. The university has an incredible amount of resources that are here specifically for you to bring your ideas to life. For example, I wanted to get experience using supercomputers on my capstone project. A few emails later I had my own account on the high-performance computer network, a bunch of learning resources, and contacts to staff that could help me if I got stuck. 

What type of experience did you gain during your time as a SEAS student?

I worked on soil ecology projects with Associate Professor Jennifer Blesh’s lab during the summer of 2022. I spent my days there sieving soil samples and weighing and packaging particulate organic matter and mineral-associated organic matter samples. We spent field days traveling the thumb and across southwest Michigan to take field samples from farmers practicing organic and traditional agricultural methods.

What type of master’s project did you work on? 

I am working with five other students on a project for stewardship and restoration of the St. Pierre Wetland, a SEAS-owned property. We have worked closely with SEAS Facilities, the Huron River Watershed Council, two homeowners’ associations, and The Stewardship Network on the project. We have focused on engaging communities in stewardship and setting up experimental methods for removing glossy buckthorn at the property to inform large-scale restoration on-site. Taking up the role of project manager for a semester was a valuable experience for me to learn how to play to peers’ strengths for effective teamwork.

Which classes were most beneficial during your first year?

The most beneficial class I took during my first year as an ESM student was Indigenous Peoples Rights & Environmental Justice. In ecosystem science and management, all too often practitioners and researchers ignore the implications of environmental injustices and settler colonialism in their own work, so it was refreshing to be able to focus on this topic and learn about concrete examples and applications of Indigenous rights in action.

How did you find community and get involved at SEAS?

I came to find my community at SEAS through classes, going to specialization events, and SEAS house parties. Also, I haven’t limited myself to relying solely on SEAS for community—there are plenty of people in other programs who I’ve met through cooperative housing, the Society of Les Voyageurs group, and going to art and music events.

How has Career Services been useful for you during your time at SEAS?

Setting up times for resume review and attending job search sessions have been most helpful for me. 

What advice would you share with first-year students at SEAS?

Connect with peers and faculty who are doing work that you’re interested in, but also make time to develop relationships outside of SEAS. If you enjoy taking a class, make it known to your professor by talking to them and expressing interest in their office hours. Most importantly, research funding opportunities and have a realistic understanding of your chances of receiving funding before you commit to coming here.

What type of experience did you gain during your time as a SEAS student?

I spent both summers of the three-year MLA program doing landscape installation work. The two were pretty different, as the first one was doing native plant matrix installations in Southeast Michigan, while the second was traditional Japanese garden installation in the Portland, Oregon, area.

What type of master’s project did you work on? 

I am doing a thesis on the Oregon State Penitentiary’s Memorial Healing Garden. We are looking to answer the question—does the healing garden have a demonstrable effect on the well-being of adults in custody?—in an academically rigorous manner. It is my hope that the study will aid movements like restorative justice to move forward with their initiatives by having empirical data to support them.

Which classes were most beneficial during your first year?

I would say EAS 501: Fundamentals of 3D Modeling. I was always interested in learning 3D modeling programs, and the professor, Lisa DuRussel, did a great job demonstrating the context in which those programs are useful. 

How did you find community and get involved at SEAS?

I was a member of SASLA (Student Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects) every year during my time in the MLA program. It’s a nice way to help the entire cohort’s professional development and to meet people from outside your own year. Another club that I and other SEAS students were a part of was BUDS (Botany Undergrads Doing Stuff.) This was an excellently programmed club with monthly hikes and newsletters. The atmosphere was inclusive and encouraged questions about the botanical world.

How has Career Services been useful for you during your time at SEAS?

I would say the workshops were the most helpful to me. They recently shifted gears to provide more portfolio review opportunities for MLA students, and I think that is an important thing to take advantage of. 

What advice would you share with first-year students at SEAS?

Landscape architecture is a very vast field with a lot of things to tackle and master. Try not to be too discouraged by difficulties with learning new programs or a lack of confidence in how to design a space. It does take a good bit of effort, so hard work is necessary. But, I found that some skills and knowledge will suddenly and unexpectedly percolate through once you’ve spent the time. And above all else, remember to be kind and encouraging to your cohort-mates and yourself. Build the kind of studio culture where humility, inclusivity, and improvement are embraced.

What type of experience did you gain during your time as a SEAS student?

I'm a dual-degree student pursuing an MS in environment and sustainability and an MBA. This dual-degree program allows me to have two summer internship experiences. For my first summer, I worked for Symbrosia, a cleantech agriculture startup that aims to combat methane emissions in the livestock sector. I helped them develop a five-year business growth plan and identify ideal locations for future operation scalability. For my second summer, I worked for The Nature Conservancy (TNC) as a conservation innovation intern. In this role, I supported the TNC Brazil team’s advanced agroforestry practices in the northern region of Brazil. More specifically, I helped them identify and develop environmental, socio-economic, health, and governance indicators for measuring impact and project performance based on local conditions. 

What type of master’s project did you work on? 

I completed a theme-based master’s project alongside Associate Professor Jose Alfaro. The work consisted of enhancing carbon accounting practices and exploring opportunities for introducing gasification into the production of a coffee producer. Our main client was Coopedota, one of the first carbon neutral coffee producers in Costa Rica. My role has varied, but I was primarily involved in client management and stakeholder interviews. Over the summer, we had the opportunity to travel to Costa Rica and conducted IPCC-approved guidelines for measuring carbon storage. Upon project completion, the client benefited from increased understanding of their carbon storage, carbon credit feasibility, and gasification integration.

Which classes were most beneficial during your first year?

Two classes I found really beneficial for my specialization were Conservation & Development with Dr. Bilal Butt and Program Evaluation with Dr. Pamela Jagger. I found those classes extremely helpful because both incorporated strong elements of critical thinking and novel approaches for addressing environmental challenges. Through these classes, I learned to critically examine existing conservation efforts and develop impact metrics that are grounded on effective theory of change approaches. 

How did you find community and get involved at SEAS?

I found community in many ways at SEAS. Two examples are through my master’s project involvement and the Erb Institute program. My master’s project team was instrumental in my integration within the SEAS community because we started at SEAS at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, making it difficult to build meaningful connections during this time. Thanks to this team, I was able to expand my SEAS connections beyond the classroom and feel part of the larger SEAS community. Another key group were my Erb peers. This is a special group of people who have made my graduate experience one of a kind, from classroom support to late-night talks about pressing environmental challenges. Overall, I feel incredibly grateful to have both of these communities and for making Michigan feel like a second home. 

How has Career Services been useful for you during your time at SEAS?

SEAS Career Services has been a great resource! I have taken advantage of resume review workshops, career fairs, one-on-one advising, and alumni conversations. Over the last three years, SEAS has exponentially augmented their career offerings to help students find their ideal profession post-graduation. Thank you!

What advice would you share with first-year students at SEAS?

Explore, explore, explore! This is a unique time in your life where you get to try and test out many of your interests in a safe environment. Take advantage of this opportunity and get involved on campus, whether that is inside or outside of the classroom. Also, don’t miss out on the chance to attend the SEAS Campfire—it’s a super fun day!

What type of experience did you gain during your time as a SEAS student?

Last summer, I worked at Climate Collaborative, which is an independent organization that helps companies in the food and beverage industry achieve their climate commitments. At SEAS, I also worked with Dr. Arun Agrawal and Cristy Watkins on a project that was trying to map out the skills that SEAS students would need when they join the sustainability workforce. The research involved interviewing sustainability leaders from private (Fortune 500 and mid-cap) and public (state and federal) sectors. 

What type of master’s project did you work on? 

I’m part of a circular economy theme-based project. Our client is the City of Ann Arbor. The goal of this project is to showcase the pre-existing circular economy (CE) activities and help expand them in the City of Ann Arbor. This will be achieved by creating a CE locator map, making an inventory of organizations involved in the CE and its benefits, such as decarbonization, resilience and equity, and help with community outreach by creating videos and attending events. 

Which classes were most beneficial during your first year?

Most beneficial were Environmental Systems Analysis, Industrial Ecology, and Natural Resource Statistics

How did you find community and get involved at SEAS?

I made most of my friends either through orientation or common classes that we had together. The SEAS community is quite large, and it can be intimidating to socialize. However, with time, you can find your community. Attending formal and informal events helps a great deal. I found the SEAS Careers Student Advisory Board a place where I could get involved and be more in touch with what my peers think and what would be helpful going forward. 

How has Career Services been useful for you during your time at SEAS?

Career Services events are really helpful. Try to use those resources as much as you can, especially in-person workshops. These workshops are not just a place to learn more about career/professional development but also to build connections and learn different perspectives. My 1:1 experience with Karrie was really helpful when I was stressed out about internship applications and networking. 

What advice would you share with first-year students at SEAS?

Make the most out of the classes that you take and the events that you go to! It can become stressful, so for classes, consider quality over quantity. And if there’s one quote that stuck with me, it was this one from Dr. Michaela Zint, which goes something like this: “You're here because you deserve to be here! The University of Michigan does not make mistakes like that.” I wish you all the very best!

What type of experience did you gain during your time as a PitE student?

In my current role as a peer advisor for U-M’s Program in the Environment, I develop and manage content for PitE’s newsletter, website, and social platforms, assist with event planning and scheduling, and advise current and prospective students about the major/minor requirements in our program. As an energy and arctic policy research intern at The University of Alaska Fairbanks, I worked with a coalition of professors and graduate students to research legislation around just energy transitions and compile diverse viewpoints from Indigenous communities and community activists.  As a global water crisis research assistant at The Michigan Quarterly Review, I helped to make the journal more equitable by soliciting diverse authors to promote our spring issue to a broader audience. Most recently, I accepted a new position as a sustainable business associate for the Michigan Energy Innovation Business Council and Institute for Energy Innovation. 

What type of projects have you worked on as a PitE student? 

I took Environ 391: Sustainability On Campus and partnered with the Office of Campus Sustainability and MDining to research best practices and provide recommendations to improve our Campus Race to Zero Waste program.

What were your favorite PitE courses?

My favorite PitE courses were Environ 208: Business and the Environment, Biology 230: Plant Biology, Environ 302: Extreme Events, Environ 390: Environmental Activism, and Environ 475: Environmental Law.

These courses and professors allowed me to further my problem-solving and team-building skills. They all gave me a deep commitment to advocating for my community, as well as advanced my relationship-building and communication skills. I also collaborated with fellow students in an environmental activism course to promote campus-wide composting education initiatives, and partnered with the Office of Campus Sustainability and MDining to implement improvements to their Campus Race to Zero Waste program. Taking courses like Environ 475 also furthered my knowledge in the field of environmental law and policy, which became my specialization in PitE. 

How did you find community and get involved as a PitE student?

I have loved spending time in the Dana Commons area and meeting people through clubs and organizations.

How has Career Services been useful for you during your time as a PitE student?

Environmental job search workshops and career exploration groups are amazing and allow a broad exposure to the variety of career fields in the environmental space. I have also been part of the environmental career chats with alumni. I’ve co-facilitated chats with Ayako Tischler, Noah Hall, and Larissa Herrera. These were great opportunities to learn about what the day-to-day tasks look like for various positions, and also to be able to gain advice on entering a career field. 

As for 1:1 experiences, this past semester I’ve been applying to jobs, and all of the peer advisors have been amazing in reviewing my cover letters and resumes. I also met with Ari Renda and they gave great advice and support on my job application materials. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without them!

What advice would you share with first-year PitE & SEAS students?

Get acclimated to campus and explore! Expand beyond Dana and meet people in other schools and clubs. Ann Arbor is an amazing city and has so much to offer outside of the university!

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What type of experience did you gain during your time as a SEAS student?

I primarily focused on environmental communication before coming to U-M and interned with various nonprofits local to my undergraduate college (Ithaca College). I also interned, and later worked at, Princeton University’s Office of Sustainability as a Communications and Research Fellow. My time there was spent working on many types of projects, including developing content for their online communications and their in-person sustainability kiosk; supporting campus sustainability data tracking efforts; and gaining an introduction to the environmental behavioral sciences by collaborating with a postdoctoral researcher who was conducting research with my office. 

What type of master’s project did you work on as a previous master’s student? 

I elected to do an integrative seminar with EAS 564: Localization: Transitional Thinking for the New Normal. Alongside taking Localization, I conducted research about some of the psychological aspects of living in agricultural intentional communities. This work was inspired, in part, by Sylvan NeighborWood, an intentional community that is in development near Chelsea, Michigan. Incidentally, I recently published the quantitative aspects of my research, which can be accessed here.

What were your favorite SEAS courses?

For anyone interested in the behavioral sciences, I would highly recommend EAS 560: Behavior and Environment and EAS 561: The Psychology of Environmental Stewardship. Both are engaging classes. Behavior and Environment serves as an introduction to environmental psychology and The Psychology of Environmental Stewardship introduces conservation psychology and environmental behavior change. 

I also really enjoyed EAS 641: Social Research Methods for Environment and Sustainability. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in research methodology. 

How did you find community and get involved at SEAS?

I have really enjoyed getting to know my peers at SEAS, first through BEC track events and, later, through events for PhD students. I also am one of the co-facilitators for Out at SEAS, the LGBTQ+ affinity group for graduate students, staff, faculty, and postdoctoral researchers at SEAS. We host monthly events aimed to build community amongst the queer members of our department. 

How has Career Services been useful for you during your time at SEAS?

I really enjoyed the workshops that Career Services held with PhD students to help us strategize about the career direction we want to take and what is required to get us there. 

What advice would you share with first-year students at SEAS?

It is very easy to burn yourself out in graduate school. There is a lot that you will want to learn and engage in, but you won’t be able to do any of that if you’re too exhausted, physically or mentally. With that said, it’s important to take care of yourself: eat some healthy (local) foods, get enough sleep, and take walks outside. You’ll thank yourself for it later.