MPA Student Report

I have attended the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh for the last two years. I will be entering my junior year pursuing a Bachelor Degree of Science with a major in Environmental Studies. My career interests entail green energy and natural resource management. I was a young child when I started attending a summer camp program that emphasized nature and environmental conservation—ever since I have made outdoor activities into hobbies and continued interest in environmental sustainability. The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh focuses on sustainability through green building, alternative and solar energy, and curbing pollution.

Following college, I moved to Portland, Oregon and looked for ways to continue developing my skills and fostering my passion for social responsibility. I started at Impact NW as an AmeriCorps member, where I served two terms helping run the AKA Science program. In my role, I managed hundreds of volunteers, wrote curriculum, and trained instructors; but above all, I learned how to work with corporate partners. Aided by corporate volunteers, our program served thousands of students each year. I quickly realized the importance of establishing meaningful, long-term relationships. Companies gave back to our community and in return we provided them a chance to hold an engaging experience for their employees. Every committed corporate team we cultivated helped us build capacity and redirect vital resources back into our program. We also encouraged volunteers to share their skills and as a result they would provide us with amazing insights. For example, one group of volunteers from Nike world headquarters helped streamline our processes by sharing ideas from their work in lean manufacturing. These experiences sparked something for me and I realized that my strengths as a creative thinker and a leader and my passion for giving back unite.

Last May, I traveled with Alternative Breaks to New York for community service. During this service, I worked with Meals on Wheels who dedicate their time to provide food for the elderly of Manhattan. As I delivered the food to the seniors, I got a sense of fulfillment because I made them smile by providing them with food. Thus, I chose MDC’s Single Stop because I wanted to make a difference in my home campus by providing and assuring nourishment to those that do not have it just like I did in New York. As my first two years of college comes to an end, I wanted to leave a mark of my own here at home at Miami Dade College North Campus. During the month of September, I decided to partner up with a few of my peers to serve at MDC’s Single Stop.

My qualifications include 10 years of healthcare and business administration experience. Also of note is my accomplishment as an undergraduate in Health Care Management. In which, I expect to serve as a leader in the management of healthcare and related services. For the past several years, I have researched on and coordinated projects

In 1992, the Rio Earth Summit declared “The right to development must be fulfilled so as to equitably meet developmental and environmental needs of present and future generations” and in order to create sustainable development the mindset of the individual would need to be changed (Jick & Peiperl, p. 473). When organizations are open to new ideas and welcome transformation it enables them to meet the demands of the current and future environment, (Abbas, 2014). Thus, in 1998, before the merger of PwC and Coopers and Lybrand an opportunity was given to two alums of AIESEC, Middelburg and Shaw to deliver the following initiatives.

Have you ever stopped to consider what a privilege it is to have a clean environment that we depend on for many of our aspects of life, such as sports, food, and the remainder of what we need to survive and thrive? Unless from off-earth, which would be things that we get from space matter (which is a miniscule amount), everything we have is thanks to our earthly resources. However, there is a huge price to the benefits. Someone has to take care of the negative effects that impact the environment, and unfortunately they aren’t fully accredited to what they have to do to maintain order in many people’s lives and ensure the environment is providing for their profession. When we think of environmentally-dependent professions more locally, many of the people of North Carolina depend on our environment to sustain their livelihood, and even to make a living for themselves, like fishermen, farmer, hunters, and all kinds of employment options. That is why Environmental non-profits in North Carolina should receive more funding annually from the government, for all the things they do to make sure our resources aren’t degraded, people can continue to use our environment for their enjoyment and any other needs.

When I first arrived at the University of Michigan, I was pleasantly surprised to find out the first service event we were doing was invasive species management in the Huron watershed. Cutting down buckthorn and picking invasive species seeds were both activities very familiar to me. Growing up in Chicago, my middle and elementary school had done nearly the exact same thing every year in the Chicago River watershed. Going out into the woods and helping the often forgotten organic parts of our community was certainly a pleasant surprise for me. I initially thought going to college that almost everything I would be experiencing would be new and exciting, yet here I was coming full circle right back to where I had first started learning about community involvement. More often than not, our expectations of things do not match their true forms.

This recommendation is offered in strong support of Ciara Johnson’s application for the Johns Hopkins University Environmental Science and Policy program. I was Ciara’s field instructor as she pursued her MSW. As such, I have had extensive opportunity to assess Ciara’s research abilities, and believe that she is deserving of this exciting opportunity.

In order to graduate from Tulane, one must first complete a service learning course and give back to the New Orleans community. Through my own life, I have tried to find ways to give to my community by tutoring, volunteering, and being a friend, but at Tulane, I could expand my efforts greatly. Facilitating in a middle school outreach program, working with a group of students to revitalize decrepant areas of New Orleans, and researching ways to improve how one can most effectively give back to its community are all opportunities that I could envision myself doing at Tulane University. Peaking my interest even further, Tulane Community Service Fellows is program specifically for students, such as myself, who are interested in benefiting their community in substantial

While in Accelerated Masters Program at SPEA I plan on studying and receiving a masters in Public Affairs. I believe this program will enhance my abilities not only as a student but also as a employee. This program is something that has peaked my interest since I have learned about it and I strongly believe due to this program’s success that it will position me ahead of other graduates from other universities.

The multi-purpose facility’s mission is to use the campus as an outside lab for experience-based learning and connecting with the urban ecology and landscape. Around 80 faculty members and students attended the ribbon cutting.

I served the Davis and Sacramento communities as a member of the largest non-profit service club organization in the world, Lions Club International, through participation and planning of over 30 service events and projects targeted towards increasing community health and education, reducing hunger and poverty, and improving the environment. I was one of the first members of the club and helped grow membership by 500%. I was elected Treasurer in my second year of membership. As treasurer I produced budgets, managed club finances and maintained detailed inventory reports. I also acted as committee head for 4 service events where I lead a group of members to plan and run the

Throughout my career, I have a history of uncovering and creating opportunities to increase giving to unprecedented levels. These thoughtful, well-planned engagements have involved friends and alumni in philanthropy in a way that is meaningful to them. Creating a pipeline of prospects is crucial for any successful development program, and today’s savvy alums occasionally require a more out-of-the-box approach like the ones provided through my coordinated outreach.

In Dec 2011, I wrote in my personal statement when applying to Virginia Tech (VT) that “As a conscientious and driven individual, I seek implementable solutions to burning environmental issues” and wish to “make substantive contributions to society.” More than five years later, my VT PhD journey has been extraordinary and in alignment with VT’s Aspirations for Student Learning and Principles of Community. Whether it be responding to the Flint Water Crisis (2014-present), service as part of an Engineers Without Borders (EWB) water/sanitation project in South America, or publishing on the rise of perverse incentives and threats to scientific integrity in 21st century academia, my “contributions to society” (howsoever small) give me immense personal satisfaction. I also realize none of my work was a solo effort but I had enormous help from many kind and brilliant people that embody Ut Prosim including my research group and my advisor, Dr Marc Edwards, a beacon of scientific genius and moral courage, to whom I remain incredibly grateful.

Greenwood, Lisa; Rosenbeck, Joseph; and Scott, Jason (2012) "The Role of the Environmental Manager in Advancing Environmental