Congratulations to the Class of 2010!The Office of Sustainability proudly announces the graduation of its first class of interns. Eight of the eleven 2009-2010 interns graduated with the class of 2010 on 17 May in the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Their contributions to the inaugural year of the Office of Sustainability are greatly appreciated and we wish them happiness and success in their future endeavors.

Biology major, Andrew Collins, will take up a post as a New York City Teaching Fellow in Brooklyn this fall where he will teach high school biology. Collins helped develop the Tree Policy Care Plan during his Spring 2010 tenure with the office.

Kyle Grochmal studied Finance and Middle Eastern studies during his four years at the university and graduated Magna Cum Laude on 17 May. He plans to work in financial services.  Grochmal credits improved professional interpersonal skills to his internship with the Office of Sustainability.

Ashley Edwards, a double major in biology and Spanish, will join the ranks of Wells Fargo in the Investment Banking division. Edwards, who graduated cum laude in May, reflected fondly on her time with the Office of Sustainability. “I most enjoyed watching change happen on campus, even though it happens slowly. I think the students’ opinions on sustainability are starting to mature and many students seem to be catching on,” she said.

Political science major and Outdoor Pursuits guru Kathleen Pritchard will follow her passion for outdoor exploration out West this summer. She will work as an outdoor educator and trip leader for Seattle-based teenagers looking to explore their region. After this “adventure,” Pritchard will fly to Argentina to teach English for 6 months or a year. Pritchard graduated Magna Cum Laude in May and eventually wishes to attend law school where she will specialize in either environmental or humanitarian law.

Michelle Dietz will take her experience as a BS student in Biology and a minor of chemistry and environmental science to the civil service this summer as an intern for the Food and Drug Administration. After this concludes, she will look to the fields of environmental policy or conservation for future employment. Michelle worked hard to compile the first ever Campus Green Guide for the university that will be distributed to incoming freshmen this fall.

English major Anna Williams graduated magna cum laude with honors in May, a year ahead of her class. Williams will pursue a law degree at Baylor Law in Waco, Texas starting this fall with the goal of working in the field of Humanitarian Advocacy. Williams says that by far her favorite experience as a sustainability intern was “working with Dedee who is a wonderful, fantastic human being.”

Biology major Wesley Johnson will head to New Zealand this February to pursue a masters degree in Environmental Management at the University of Auckland. Johnson, who graduated cum laude, worked tirelessly throughout his senior year to make this year’s Earth Day fair a success. Following his study down under, Johnson will teach high school biology in Mississippi with Teach for America.

History major and Environmental Studies and Journalism minor, Jordan Brewster joined the staff for the Spring semester and was instrumental in pulling together the Earth Day Festival activities on campus this year.

Caitlin Brooks, Outreach and Communications Intern

Archives