Senior Sustainability Interns
Amina Maslo
Communications Intern (Photographed Above)
During my freshman year, I had my first involvement with sustainability at UR as a volunteer at the Rethink Waste Basketball Game. Three years later, I was filming and editing footage to make a videos as an Office for Sustainability intern. As an intern, I also created content for the Office's Instagram to show how Spiders are engaged in sustainability globally and locally. Seeing students' interest and involvement in sustainability always gave me motivation. My time at Richmond has been fulfilling in many ways, but the interaction with sustainability has been very important. I took classes related to the environment in the Business School as well as an SSIR class, “Out of the Sea”. As part of the course, we traveled to Belize and made a documentary about the effects of climate change on that region. I was also fortunate to be able to do sea turtle conservation in Costa Rica with Tortugas de Pacuare.
My hope for the future is to combine my interest in analytics with my passion for preserving the environment to inspire companies to implement sustainable practices. For anyone reading this, remember that small changes, when repeated and shared with others, can have a big impact.
Cassandra Troy, the Office for Sustainability's Communications & Engagement Specialist, worked with Amina while she was an intern and shared the following about her: "Amina has been an incredible asset to our office this year. She played a key role in our connecting students, faculty, staff, and community members with the Office for Sustainability through stories and posts on our Instagram page. Amina also allowed us to offer new insight into many of our initiatives and events by creating a number of videos. Her video, editing, and photography skills helped us immensely this semester. Whether it was biking with a GoPro to give a first person view of a route to the river or coming up with new ways to showcase sustainability facts, her creativity enhanced the quality of whatever she was working on. We'll miss having her as part of our team, but I know she'll do incredibly well at whatever she pursues beyond University of Richmond."
Caroline Schiavo
URSA Intern
Sustainability at the University has vast meanings, but I have always admired this 1987 definition from the United Nations Brundtland Report, “Sustainable development is development that meets needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. My sustainability passion combined with my major in Political Science and minor in Healthcare Studies has led to my research of food deserts and environmental health policy. In fact, my thesis is titled The Effects of Negative Ambient Air Quality and Their Threat to Climate Change. I truly believe access to healthy, nutritious food should not be dependent on geography. My work in the Office for Sustainability has added to my role in WCGA student government where I have served as a sustainability liaison to further the trayless dining agenda and articulate the importance of the Eco-Corridor. In addition, this interest has intersected with my experience in health-related nonprofits such as Camp Kesem and Ronald McDonald House Charities. After graduation, I hope to take this knowledge and apply it to a career in development or programming in a health nonprofit.
Isabelle Drayer worked with Caroline as an URSA intern this year and had this to say about her: "Working alongside Caroline has been an honor. She possesses determination beyond what I’ve seen in other college students, and uses that to give of herself to different organizations on campus, the Office for Sustainability included. She has the unique ability to reach different sectors on campus through her deep-seated involvement, which has proven valuable for URSA, the Green Room Program, and student involvement in sustainability in general. Perhaps most important, though, she is a friend to all she meets and supports those around her unwaveringly. It’s been so fun getting to know Caroline this year, and I am confident that she will carry her skills and passion to positively impact whatever she chooses to take on next."
Emily George
Eco-Corridor Community Based Learning Course Support Intern
From the time I was little I have loved to be outside; whether out hiking or playing on a beach, I’ve been lucky to spend time exploring the great outdoors. Now, I’m graduating with a degree in Environmental Studies and I am lucky enough to have studied one of the topics I love most. Between my classwork, internship with the Office for Sustainability, and commitment to a sustainable lifestyle, sustainability has been a focus during my time at UR. To me, sustainability is something to keep in mind as I go about each day, and I’m so glad that I’ve been able to experience the environmental and sustainability programs at Richmond.
Kelsey Fastabend, Sustainability Program Coordinator, worked with Emily and had the following to share: "Emily was a delight to have in the Office for Sustainability this year. From working with faculty to incorporate academics into the Gambles Mill Eco-Corridor, to being an essential part of our Bee Campus USA certification, her enthusiasm and creativity shine through in any project with which she is involved. She consistently has unique ideas that are vital to the success of her work, and is also excited to welcome ideas from her peers. Emily’s smile just lights up the room and her positive attitude was a lovely addition to our team. We are going to miss you, Emily!"
Eve Gilles
Eco-Corridor Invasive Species Removal Intern
Sustainability has been a defining feature of my time at UR! Between taking Environmental Studies classes on campus, studying Environmental Action in Australia, working at Shalom Farms, and starting Plate to Planet, a club for students interested in plant-based eating, I've loved learning about sustainability and connecting with people about my passion. Working with the Office for Sustainability has taught me so much, and I'm extremely grateful to Rob, Cassandra, and Kelsey for their amazing mentorship! Next year I'm headed to an elementary school in New Mexico with Teach for America and plan to keep my focus on sustainability in my own life as well as with the little ones. Thanks UR for an incredible four years!
Rob Andrejewski, Director of Sustainability, had the following to share about working with Eve: "I first met Eve over a Skype interview, while she was studying abroad. Even separated by thousands of miles, I could feel her passion for the environment and how strongly she was committed to doing her part to care for the Earth. Eve played many roles with the Office for Sustainability and other departments this year to steward the James River, our community, and our campus. She was the main point-of-contact for invasive species removal with the James River Park Service and did a wonderful job connecting students and other volunteers with volunteer opportunities, especially in Huguenot Flatwater and on campus. She used skills learned at Shalom Farms to become our first student Community Garden Coordinator and established a vision of what the garden could become. Outside the office, Eve co-led a promising composting initiative and started a new club dedicated to plant-based diets. She did all of this with calm determination – Eve is chill – and a caring smile. She is a force for good and I am excited to hear about her many adventures in the years to come."
Justin Mure
Climate Action Planning Intern
I believe sustainability is about caring for yourself, for others, and for the natural world with a long-term focus. After graduation, I will attend the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine. I'm looking forward to integrating sustainable practices into my future workplace and providing care to medically underserved populations.
Justin has been an intern with the Office for Sustainability since summer 2018. Over the past two years, he has been involved with greenhouse gas accounting, the Climate Action Plan, Rethink Waste, a paper reduction initiative, and Earth Lodge.
Intern Amanda Brosnan worked with Justin on greenhouse gas accounting and had the following to share: "Justin’s work for the Office for Sustainability has been integral to the functioning and overall efficiency of the office. No one is more willing or eager to do any task needed than Justin. His calm demeanor and overall kindness towards others is reflected in his diligence in completing his work and going above and beyond all expectations as a coworker. Working on the CAP and GHG accounting is not an easy task; it requires patience and persistence, both of with Justin exhibits. Thank you Justin, you will be missed!”
Nikolina Dakovic
Energy Conservation Management & Green Revolving Fund Intern
The first time I got involved with sustainability was during my high school experience at the UWC College of the Adriatic. Students on campus got involved and made composting stations in addition to the already existing recycling stations. After high school, I tried to find ways to stay involved in sustainability at UR as well. The Office for Sustainability gave me a variety of opportunities to meet people who are passionate about sustainability and preserving the environment. That led to multiple friendships and cooperation, on and off campus, to create events focused on climate change issues, waste, recycling etc. Being able to contribute to the betterment of our community has been very empowering and satisfying. This kind of work motivates students to get engaged in sustainability activities both inside and outside the classroom. My Environmental Economics class offered a chance to learn more about how economists view pollution, ways to measure it, and the policies that have been put in place to solve some of the major issues the world has come across concerning sustainability. All these little pieces have shaped me into a person who wants to stay engaged after graduation and implement different routines into my daily life that are more sustainable. My hope is that people in my life will be led by my example and become more thoughtful about the environment themselves.
Rob Andrejewski, Director of Sustainability, had the following to say about working with Nikolina: "Nikolina and I worked closely this year to update information on UR’s utility consumption and calculate savings from energy efficiency projects. Looking back at our work sessions – which often included figuring out software programs new to both of us – there were two things that were always consistent: Nikki made me laugh and she impressed me with her intelligence. She approaches her sustainability work with scholarly discipline. She is analytical, rigorous, and follows through on her commitments. However, she doesn’t take herself or the topic too seriously, which is a great asset when your work deals with climate change and other heavy topics. Nikki also worked with staff in Facilities and always left a good impression. The information she worked on gives us a better understanding of our campus operations and of the positive impact our Facilities team has in saving money and reducing emissions. I appreciate what she brought to our office and know she is going to continue having a positive impact on the world."
Thank you to our interns for everything you've done to support sustainability on campus! Do you know someone who should be featured as a Sustainability Champion? Let us know at sustainability@richmond.edu.