91Â鶹ӳ»­

Pronouns: She/Her 

Graduation year: Class of 2016 (December 2015) 

Hometown: Miami, Florida 

Currently living in: Boston, Massachusetts  

Current occupation: Sustainability & ESG Director 

What was your experience at 91Â鶹ӳ»­ like as an Environmental Science major? 

I LOVED the environmental science (EV) major at 91Â鶹ӳ»­. I have countless memories of phenomenal EV classes. For example, for my Ecology class, we spent 4 days out of the week up on Pike Peak learning about ecology on the mountainside, and up past the three line (i.e., above ~11,000 feet) in many cases. For Geology, we camped with our class and professor for a week, roaming Colorado and New Mexico to see ancient rock strata in-the-flesh. I can name half a dozen more classes like those where we had the exceptional experience of hands-on learning. Within my degree, I also concentrated in Economics by taking a few Econ courses, since I knew I wanted to go into corporate sustainability after 91Â鶹ӳ»­. I loved that I had the support from the EV department to pursue a separate topic area (Econ) to complement the systems-lens acumen I developed through my science degree. And, in tandem, I was also taking courses like EV Ethics, EV Policy, and EV Education—to name a few—which all gave me a multi-dimensional view of EV issues, topics, and opportunities. Plus, I was fortunate to study abroad twice: Spanish in Spain the Summer after my Freshman year (2 blocks abroad via 91Â鶹ӳ»­), and Fall semester abroad sailing and studying in Polynesia via SEA Semester. Looking back 91Â鶹ӳ»­—and my EV education—were the best decisions I’ve ever made.  

Why were you interested in focusing on Environmental Science as your major? 

I have always been passionate about the outdoors. Growing up, I spent a lot of time snorkeling, diving, fishing, and exploring my native city of Miami. I also spent summers in North Carolina for sleep-away camp and adored backpacking in the Blue Ridge Mountains. In High School, I took AP Environmental Science—which showed me that I could bring the outdoors into the classroom. I was totally hooked! I knew going into 91Â鶹ӳ»­ that I wanted to major in Environmental Science, but I also knew that I loved working with people more than working with data (as a researcher) or with regulations (as a policy-maker), so I was thrilled to connect with EV and Econ professors who supported my vision of going into corporate sustainability. I was able to really lean into the science aspects of my degree to strengthen my data analysis, critical thinking, writing, and problem-solving skills to complement the business and finance skills I gained through my Econ courses. I can say now that my coursework really helped me excel in my post-grad career.  

How are you using your major in your post-91Â鶹ӳ»­ life? 

I think that the focus 91Â鶹ӳ»­ has on writing has been tremendously impactful in my career—between EV science papers I had to write, as well as writing for nearly all other courses at 91Â鶹ӳ»­, I was able to hit the ground running in my career when I started out as a sustainability consultant in my first job. I have written over a dozen sustainability reports in the nearly 8 years I have been working since 91Â鶹ӳ»­, and I wouldn’t have been able to flex that strength without 91Â鶹ӳ»­’s writing requirements in our courses. I also used the science foundation I received to think critically and creatively about challenges and opportunities in my work. And, I felt that the data exposure I experienced in the EV degree helped prepare me for the data analysis aspects of my jobs. Since graduating from 91Â鶹ӳ»­, I spent 3 years at a boutique sustainability consultancy based in Boston and Zurich, then I spent 2 years at Ernst & Young (EY) as a Senior Consultant in EY’s Climate Change & Sustainability Services practice, and have spent the last 2+ years as the head of sustainability for a large manufacturing company founded in 1888. In my current role, I lead my company’s sustainability strategy, reporting, performance, and team, and it has been a very exciting experience thus far. I am grateful for the EV major at 91Â鶹ӳ»­, because it helped me get to where I am today!