Q&A: EESI Fall Interns Reflect on a Semester in D.C. | Article

EESI brings together a cohort of students each semester to work with our team to advance climate, energy, and environmental solutions. For the first time since the pandemic started, all three EESI interns were based in Washington, D.C., though still participating in the internship remotely due to health precautions. Our interns, Isabella Eclipse, Valerie Nguyen, and Roshni Vora, took the opportunity to interview each other about their experiences in D.C. and working at EESI. Let’s jump in!

What was it like to live and work in D.C. this semester?

Valerie and EESI Senior Policy Associate Amber Todoroff.

Valerie: As part of the University of California, Washington Program (UCDC), I interned, took classes, and lived in D.C. with students from across the nine UC campuses. Although I was doing remote work from my dorm most days, I feel lucky to have been able to connect with other students face-to-face for the first time since the pandemic started and to have experienced things that could only happen in-person here, like the March on Washington. Living among young people with similar ambition in a city like Washington is electrifying—it feels like everyone is working toward influencing change in the world, from Capitol Hill to nonprofits to think tanks.

Roshni: I was given an opportunity to spend two and a half months in the middle of Washington, D.C., and work with a great team of people. Along with Valerie, I was a participant in the UCDC program through the University of California, Riverside. It was amazing to be part of the in-person opening of the program after almost two years of it being fully remote. It was challenging to balance working an internship, a seminar course, and the transition of moving across the country after spending most of last year in my room logging into Zoom call after Zoom call. However, I enjoyed every moment of connecting with people who have the same goal of bettering the world. Living on the East Coast during the fall season was also an amazing experience.

Isabella: This semester, I took part in the Cornell University in Washington program. At the program’s Wolpe Center, I participated in three seminar classes while I interned at EESI. Although my internship was remote, it was easy to feel at home at EESI and in D.C. I had never visited D.C. before, so I relished the opportunity to visit museums and galleries, attend exciting community events, and study at libraries and cafes. I also loved interacting with other students, both in my classes and my internship, who are passionate about policy and social issues. My Cornell peers were studying different topics like health and transportation policy, so I could step out of the environmental major “bubble” and be exposed to diverse ideas. Ultimately, learning from my peers showed me that environmental issues like climate change are intersectional and should be studied from multiple perspectives.

In what ways did your work at EESI connect to your studies?

Roshni: Through my coursework, I have learned about the global importance of implementing renewable energy. Through this internship, I worked with EESI’s on-bill financing team, learning more specifics about the renewable energy sector—from the work of rural electrical cooperatives to beneficial electrification. The amount of networking and hands-on research I was able to do during my experience at EESI was truly incredible. In school, I learn and read about policymakers, climate advocates, and experts; however, through EESI, I was given the opportunity to talk to some of these people. For an article I wrote about the new Climate and Equitable Jobs Act passed in Illinois, I interviewed an advocate of the bill who shared insights about the legislation that I would not have been able to find online. Experiences and connections such as these were an unforgettable part of my time at EESI.

Valerie: As an environmental studies major and a city planning minor, a lot of my coursework involves climate and energy policy, as well as environmental justice. Through EESI, I learned about aspects of the environmental policy field that I was not exposed to through my academics, such as climate finance and climate jobs. At the same time, it was cool to see how topics I learned about in class, like the U.N. Climate Change Conference, play out in real life and how EESI has a role in them. I especially appreciated how much I learned about local climate action, which is at the intersection of my interests in environmental policy and city planning.

Isabella: As an environment & sustainability major with a concentration in policy and governance, everything I did at EESI was intimately connected to my academic coursework. I had the opportunity to write about and research environmental issues that I had learned about in class, such as electric vehicles and watershed pollution. Following EESI’s coverage of the U.N. climate summit (COP26) after learning about the Paris Agreement and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in my courses was especially interesting. Finally, I was able to practice the skills I learned from my communications courses as I wrote and designed graphics for social media posts and development campaigns.

Reflecting on your EESI internship, what were some of the highlights of your experience?

Isabella, Valerie, and Roshni

Roshni: My favorite part of working at EESI was the people. It is clear that everyone has the interns’ best interests at heart and is dedicated to making sure that our experience here helps us in the future. EESI’s professional development seminars for interns really had an impact on what career pathway I want to take. One speaker in particular opened my eyes to the corporate and business side of environmental work and the importance of implementing change in the business sector.

Isabella: One highlight of my EESI internship was the weekly professional development meeting. I really appreciated that the EESI team organized the meetings around both our personal and career goals. For example, I was curious about financial literacy, so EESI brought a speaker to talk about how to manage money responsibly as a student. It was eye-opening to discover the variety of jobs available in the environmental field, from positions in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to those in sustainable businesses.

Valerie: The variety of projects I worked on as the Policy Intern—tracking recent legislation, taking notes and live tweeting at Congressional briefings, and researching and writing articles—kept every week feeling fresh. I am especially proud of my article, Q&A: How Phony “Chasing Arrows” Were Run Out of California, for which I interviewed an expert on a new piece of California recycling legislation. I pitched the idea because I had a personal interest in the topic, and with staff guidance, I took the lead coming up with the questions, conducting and editing the interview, and writing the accompanying article. Through continual feedback and support from EESI staff, I always felt like the organization valued my work and treated me with the same respect as any other staff member.

What have you learned about yourself and your interests through working at EESI?

Isabella: Interning at EESI allowed me to experience what working at an environmental nonprofit is really like, from social media to development activities. I loved my experience, and now I am convinced that I should join an environmental nonprofit after I graduate next spring. After a few years of work experience, I plan to head to graduate school to advance my career. Speaking with Communications Associate Emma Johnson has inspired me to seek a Master's degree in environmental management or policy.

Valerie: I am leaving EESI more confident in my abilities and fired up to continue pursuing a career where I can make a difference on environmental and energy issues. After I graduate next semester, I hope to work on sustainability and climate initiatives in state or local government. The research and accessible writing skills that I developed here at EESI will be helpful in whatever profession I pursue.

Roshni: One of the main takeaways I'd hoped to gain from my time at EESI was to narrow down the many possible pathways of my career. EESI has undoubtedly given me insight into the different sectors in environmental work and has helped me pinpoint possible career trajectories. With my interest in both climate policy and business, our discussions with board members and various guest speakers have given me insight into pursuing environmental management.

Authors: Isabella Eclipse, Valerie Nguyen, and Roshni Vora