EESI Put Me on a Path to Fulfill My Childhood Dreams | Article

During my sophomore year at Carnegie Mellon University, I learned about the Washington Semester Program—an opportunity for students from all majors to study and work in Washington, D.C. As a mechanical engineer, I was perhaps the most unexpected applicant to the program, but nonetheless I was excited to spend a semester in the nation’s capital, learning from amazing professors and meeting individuals who were working where I hoped to live one day.

Joanne Zulinski

Although I have always had more of an affinity for STEM fields, I was interested in applying my degree outside of the realm of traditional engineering. As I was searching for an internship, I found EESI, and not long after, started working there as a communications and policy intern.

Ever since elementary school, when we had annual outings to plant trees in the neighborhood, I have cared deeply about helping the planet that gives us a home, but did not always think it was something I could do in my career. It was not a conscious decision, but when I decided to double major in Engineering & Public Policy, I felt like I might actually achieve my childhood dream through my work, and EESI was the next step in that path.

My time at EESI seemed to fly by. My day-to-day responsibilities included monitoring EESI’s social media and sharing relevant news and events, helping prepare for and run briefings on the Hill, and contributing to EESI’s weekly newsletter. Aside from that, I was able to write articles on topics I was passionate about. The biggest piece I worked on explored how Poland, my home country, can transition to a cleaner economy. I also had the opportunity to attend the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Innovation in Affordable Housing Student Design and Planning Competition.

No matter what I worked on at EESI, not a day went by that I did not learn something new about renewable energy, clean technologies, or initiatives being launched to help families and businesses reduce their carbon footprint while also saving money on their bills. While I may have thought that I already knew a lot about these topics when I came to D.C., in reality there was, and still is, so much to learn. My favorite part about being at EESI, besides my coworkers who made it feel like home from day one, was how much I could learn. It was far more than I could have ever learned in a semester-long class at school. And, what made it even more impactful was that I was encouraged to pursue topics that intrigued me. Some of my friends have had internships where it seemed all they were doing was busywork But at EESI, I never felt like I was handed the tasks no one else wanted to do. Instead, I was able to leave EESI having learned more about the state of clean energy globally and nationally, and with more of a sense of where I wanted to go from there. The experience overall set the bar pretty high when it came time to look for my next internship.

I currently work at ICF in the D.C. metro area as a public policy specialist. Although ICF is a consulting company that works with a wide variety of clients, my work is primarily with federal agencies, such as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency, supporting rulemaking efforts and other projects the agencies are working on. Through providing support to these agencies, I am able to help them develop rules efficiently and effectively. My typical tasks include meeting support, comment analysis, research on various technical topics, and other technical analyses. I was particularly excited about joining ICF because of the work I could do in the environmental space.

Although my work at EESI does not directly relate to my work now—at EESI I did a lot of independent research on different clean energy technologies and policies, whereas now I assist with developing policy—it was a vital stepping stone to where I am now. After my internship with EESI, I interned at PSEG, a utility company in New Jersey, where I researched utility electrification and decarbonization efforts across the country. With each of these positions, I worked more and more in the policy space, and a logical next step was to work in support of regulations that could eventually help decarbonize the United States and reduce the impacts of climate change.

I know that change does not come easy and that if we want to see change happen in our country, it starts with the laws and policies we have in place. This is especially true when it comes to climate change and the environment. I am super proud to say that at ICF, I am able to assist with developing regulations that will shape the future of our energy infrastructure. I know I would not be where I am today without the semester spent at EESI, and for that I will be forever grateful.

Author: Joanne Zulinski