2025 Alumni Career Panel

In line with Wake Forest’s mission to be a catalyst for good in society, the Office of Sustainability invited five alumni to remind students what Pro Humanitate looks like beyond Wake Forest on February 25, 2025. Coming together for the fifth annual Sustainability Alumni Career Panel, each panelist shared their unique career trajectory and lessons learned with students. The panelists included:

• Dr. Cassie Freund | ‘10 ‘22 | Director of Science Communication at the Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science | Miami, FL
• Claire Ewing | ‘19 | Senior Climate Action Specialist for the City of Richmond (British Columbia) | Vancouver, BC
• Glenn Bergesen | ‘14 | Project Manager, Political Affairs Operations at the Environmental Defense Fund | Raleigh, NC
• Julia Stevens | ‘20 | Public Relations Specialist at Lime | San Francisco, CA
• Meredith Power | ‘23 | Renewables & Sustainability Analyst at Crow Holdings Renewables | New York, NY

Heidi Robinson, Associate Vice President for Career Education & Coaching with the University’s Office of Personal and Career Development (OPCD), moderated the panel, prompting an active conversation between the five panelists and 21 students in attendance.

The Path Out of The Forest

Reflecting on their time at Wake Forest University, panelists shared how they navigated undergraduate life to prepare for what came next. Each had a unique path on campus, gaining skills through their time in the classroom, participation in clubs, internships, and on-campus jobs that would later serve them in their careers.

As a student, Julia Stevens (‘20) lived in the sustainability theme house and worked on waste reduction and diversion as an intern with the Office of Sustainability.

“The Office of Sustainability has a really great program where they teach you project management,” said Stevens. “That is something that I found emulates a lot of the work that you do in the professional world. You have projects, and you take it through different steps, and you bring in different stakeholders. That was really a unique experience that I was able to point to in interviews and my resume.”

Current Wake Forest students have many avenues to explore their passions and develop their professional skills. Glenn Bergesen (‘14) admired the opportunities that have grown since his time at Wake Forest. Bergesen worked as an Earth Day Intern and majored in Psychology, graduating from the University before the majors in Environment and Sustainability were formed.

Bergesen’s first job post-graduation was with Wake Forest University’s Advancement team, doing fundraising beside Michele Gillespie, the Dean of the College at the time. That role gave him insight into what work he enjoys doing. When he found a job listing at the Environmental Defense Fund, he found he loved “working in that same space of bridging and connecting relationships with programmatic teams who are doing watersheds work, clean energy, climate, resilient communities.”

Meredith Power (‘23) highlighted the soft skills she developed as an undergraduate student, and told students that while the educational value of a first role is often overlooked, it shouldn’t be.

“I’ve learned more in my role than I could have ever thought within just over a year,” Power said.

Life After Wake

A common thread between the panelists’ stories was resilience and curiosity. Life after Wake brought the unexpected; alumni shared stories of tough job markets, rescinded offers, and global pandemics. Stevens, a 2020 graduate, explored two internships post-graduation before starting as a Nature Educator at a Raleigh nature preserve. She loved the work, but having conversations with peers showed her the path forward as a nature educator might not be the best match for her.

“I really loved not being in school.” shared Stevens. “[So, I realized] this is something fun that I’m going to do for a year and really hold that close to my heart. But, it’s not going to be my career.” Stevens encouraged those who may feel lost post-grad to choose fun as they explore their future prospects.

Dr. Cassie Freund (‘10 ‘22) echoed this sentiment. “Personally, I always recommend folks to take a break and get out in the real world, even if you think you eventually do want to go to grad school,” she said. “You can always come back later.”

After graduating from Wake Forest, she received her master’s in conservation biology and waited until she was 28 years old to begin her PhD. While completing the rigorous coursework, she freelanced as a science writer to earn extra money, allowing her to graduate with a doctorate and new skills to cast a wide net for her job search.

“Try to get good at being rejected from things,” Dr. Freund advised. “Y’all might not be used to it–I wasn’t–but, you know, my first job after my PhD, I think I applied at 55 places, and it took me like eight or nine months to find something. And that it’s hard to to understand, but that’s really not about you.”

Nodding heads could be seen in the classroom as students related to Dr. Freund’s words.

Hearing about different careers gave students model roadmaps to view how five people can find a career in sustainability despite taking vastly different paths. Some alumni, like Julia Stevens, worked across sectors but expressly told her managers her passion for clean energy and sustainability to find those opportunities.

Others, like Claire Ewing (‘19), chose to move to where more “green jobs” could be found. Living in Vancouver, Canada, she encouraged students to think about where they want to live and how that intersects with the sustainability job market. “A big reason why I came to Vancouver was because it is such a green city,” she said.

Crossroads

Robinson concluded the panel by asking both panelists to share their final pieces of advice with the group and students to share what nuggets of wisdom they’d take with them.

“I really appreciate how you guys highlighted how there’s a lot of different avenues to get into sustainability,” one participant reflected. “Whether that means directly within the sustainability field, or more like Meredith working for a company that’s less of their overall goal, but a sector within that.”

“It’s more about how you tell your story and how you brand yourself,” said another.

Bergesen prompted students to consider what priorities in life will bring them more fulfillment.

“Think about what you want your quality of life to look like and then make career decisions around that,” Bergesen said. 

“It’s all about trade-offs,” Meredith Power summarized. She recommended students to look at the intersection of their values and skills. The group laughed together about the “Work Forest” mindset, and students were encouraged to reflect on their experiences and what brought them the most satisfaction. 

Life is about the journey, and our Wake Foresters are starting theirs on the right foot by staying curious, kind, and proactive in their growth.

Students and alumni looking for more resources can connect with the OPCD, join the Office of Sustainability’s Sustainability Alumni Network, and re-watch the 2025 Sustainability Alumni Panel* to continue their professional development.

*To access this recording, you must be logged into an @wfu.edu email address.