Interns

Lucy Garcia (she/her)
Environmental Justice Intern

Class of 2023

Hometown: Greenville, SC

Major: Environmental & Sustainability Studies with Policy Studies and GIS minors

Favorite sustainable living tip: What’s easy is sustainable (read that again!). Living sustainably isn’t about forcing sweeping life changes, but creating small habits. Take your food compost to the community garden! I always treat myself to a little walk to the garden on the days I’m most stressed. Associate sustainable choices with things you love, and the lifestyle will fall into place.

The Environmental Justice Intern works with CREDE and the Office of Sustainability to infuse environmental justice throughout the Elon community.

Lauren Hill (she/her)
Volunteer Program Intern

Class of 2024

Hometown: Dunstable, MA

Major: Engineering

Favorite sustainable living tip: Go plant-based! Cutting out or just cutting down on your meat and dairy intake can reduce carbon emissions contributing to global warming and save water, land, and other harmful emissions and pollutants from entering ecosystems and waterways. Factory farming is both unethical to animals and unsustainable for the environment. Start with cutting out meat from one meal a day, once a week!

The Volunteer Program Intern serves as the Student Coordinator for the Office of Sustainability’s Volunteer Program.

Hannah Miller (she/her)
Communications Intern

Samantha Schwamberger (she/her)
Sustainability Intern

Graduation Year:2023

Hometown: Fairfield, Ohio

Major: Anthropology and Environmental Studies

Favorite Sustainable Living Tip: My favorite sustainable living tip is to reduce your meat intake to once a day or even try going vegetarian or vegan! I have been vegan for four years and originally went vegetarian after watching a documentary and learning about the environmental impacts of the animal agriculture industry.

The Sustainability Intern runs the Eco-Reps program.

Emerson Wells (she/her)
Outreach Intern

Class of 2023

Hometown: West Jefferson, NC

Major: Environmental and Ecological Science; Minor: Interreligious Studies

Favorite Sustainable Living Tip: Buy local! By shopping locally, you are purchasing goods produced in your community and reducing the environmental impact of your goods. The less an item has to be transported through plane travel or truck trips, the less pollution and fuel consumption is produced. Plus, it feels good to know you are directly supporting someone within your community!

The Outreach Intern works with student organizations on campus to promote sustainability.  They also manage the Sustainability Projects Database.

Evan Strickland ’19

Sustainability Intern, Eco-Rep Coordinator 2018-2019

Major: Entrepreneurship

Current job: Corporate Operations Specialist at Insight Global

Words of wisdom: If you believe in yourself and focus on your strengths and not your weaknesses. If you figure out what makes you happy, and prioritize your days, your years, and your life based off of that. If you give 100% of what you’ve got every day and do your best to help others get what they want, then eventually you will get everything that you want back in return.

Miki Salamon ‘19

Sustainability Projects Intern Summer 2018

Major: Environmental & Sustainability Studies, B.A. (minors in Environmental Education & Business Administration)

Current job: Sustainability Operations Specialist at Vail Health

Words of Wisdom: Pursue what you are passionate about! Don’t be afraid to apply or reach out to a variety of internships, jobs, or other roles. Be genuine and find ways to let your strengths play through in everything that you do and take advantage of opportunities that come your way! Sometimes the best things come from the unexpected.

Sarah Teicher

Communications Intern, 2018

Major:Strategic Communications

Current Job: Publicity Assistant at Warner Bros. Entertainment

Words of Wisdom: Elon is a very special place. There is absolutely nothing like it. Take advantage of the relationships you can build with professors, the wisdom of the faculty, the outstanding resources, and the beautiful environment! It is a once-in-a- lifetime experience.

Kate Pearce ’18

Sustainability Intern, Eco-Rep Coordinator 2017-2018

Major: Environmental Studies

Current Job: Client Outreach Manager at Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee

Words of Wisdom: Remember even if you don’t work in the sustainability or environmental field that you can always actively reduce your environmental impact or advocate for sustainable policies. Continue to grow and educate yourself and others in order to preserve the planet for future generations.

Mackenzie Conley ’16

Sustainability Intern, Eco-Rep Coordinator 2015-2016

Major: Environmental Studies

Current Job: Energy Efficiency Implementation Specialist with Lockheed Martin

Words of Wisdom: My only advice is to stay busy and keep moving forward. I had a relatively tough time finding a job in my field. I was starting to feel useless, so I got an internship with a nonprofit called Urban Harvest STL to work on a roof top farm all summer. It didn’t pay, but it made me feel like I was contributing to something while looking for a more permanent job.

Jessica Bast, ’16

STARS Intern Summer 2014

Major: Environmental Studies

Current Job: Sustainability Outreach Coordinator for Johns Hopkins University’s Office of Sustainability

Words of Wisdom: Make the most of your resources at Elon and embrace new people and experiences whenever possible! I truly believe that the support and experiences I gained at Elon helped and prepared me to be accepted to graduate school, which ultimately guided me to be in the career I am in today at Johns Hopkins.

Marlena Fernandez, ’15

Behavior Change Intern 2014-2015, Eco-Rep 2013-2014

Major: Engineering

Current Job: CTP Engineer for CB&I (June 2017)

Words of Wisdom: Do not let people’s perception discourage you! I have been told many times that civil engineering and sustainability do not coincide. However, they fit together quite nicely and need to act in unison for society to advance in an environmentally conscious way.

Shannon Temlak, ’15

Sustainability Intern, Eco-Rep Coordinator 2014-2015

Major: Political Science and Policy Studies

Current Job: J.D. Candidate at William & Mary Law School (Class of 2019)

Words of Wisdom: Pursue what YOU are passionate about. This applies during your time at Elon, during your post-graduate studies, and throughout your career. As long as YOU remain excited about your path, you will have the energy you need to pursue your goals!

Emily Forinash, ’14

Sustainability Intern, Eco-Rep Coordinator 2013-2014

Major: Environmental Studies and International Studies

Current Job: Chesapeake Conservation Corps Member at the William S. Schmidt Outdoor Education Center

Words of Wisdom: Take advantage of the networking resources Elon has to offer.  Knowing someone in your field is a huge help when first entering the job market.  Never lose motivation to find your perfect career!

Michele Guthrie, ’14

Communications Intern 2012-2013

Major: Strategic Communications

Current Job: Marketing and Communications Coordinator for the Campus Recreation at Georgetown University (current)
Advertising Operations Coordinator with Targeted Victory (a digital advertising firm) in Alexandria, VA (previous)

Words of Wisdom: Never give up the opportunity to experience something new! Whether it’s traveling, taking a class outside your major, or making new friends, you’ll be surprised by how much you can learn and enjoy with a little change of environment.

Lauren Hoerr, ‘13

Sustainability Intern, Eco-Rep Coordinator 2012-2013

Major/Minor(s): Environmental Studies, BS / Sociology and GIS

Current Job: Completed a graduate internship at Seattle Public Utilities working in the Multifamily Waste Prevention and Education Program in ’17 and will graduate in August with a Masters of Public Administration and Masters of Urban Planning from the University of Washington.

Words of Wisdom: “Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” –Gandhi

Samantha Jones, ‘13

STARS Intern Summer 2012

Major/Minor(s): Environmental Studies / Communications

Current Job:  Retail Solar Advisor at Sungevity in Oakland, CA

Words of Wisdom: Make sure that each thing on your resume is meaningful in some way to what you want your ultimate goal to be. Be genuine, be humble and be honest. If you have to fake anything you’re doing, it’s not the right job for you.  Have passions and relate them to your career!

Christian Jones, ‘13

Education and Outreach – Creative Media Intern 2012-2013

Major/Minor(s): Physics B.S. / Applied Mathematics

Current Job: Environmental Planner at AECOM in Morrisville, NC

Words of Wisdom: Effective communication skills are very important in the work place. Whether it is gaining support for a campaign, seeking funding for a project, or even getting a job. This was a skill that I was able to apply and improve while interning with the Office of Sustainability and have continued to use post-graduation.

Nicole Monge, ‘13

Green Building Education Intern 2012-2013

Major / Minor(s): Strategic Communications

Current Job: APCO Worldwide, New York, NY

Words of Wisdom: Enjoy your time at Elon, savor every minute of it and take advantage of every opportunity you are given. We as Elon students and alum are extremely fortunate to be given the opportunities we have, seize every single one of them.

Becky Wickel, ‘13

Education and Outreach – Public Relations Intern 2012-2013

Major/Minor(s): Print, Online Journalism / American Studies & Asian Studies

Current Job: Digital Communications Coordinator at Harvard University in Cambridge, MA

Words of Wisdom: Push yourself to take courses that aren’t related to your major.

Kristi Jacobsen Brodd ‘12

Education and Outreach Intern 2011-2012

Major/Minor(s): Strategic Communication/ Environmental & Sustainability Studies and Business Administration

Current Job: Communications Manager for Advanced Energy in Raleigh, NC.

Words of Wisdom: Follow your passions and never give up trying to find an internship or job position where your skills are truly put to good use. It can get frustrating at times, but once you find the perfect place you’ll be happy that you put in the hard work to get there.

Jen Tremblay ‘12

GHG Intern Summer 2011

Major/Minor(s): Biology, Spanish and Latin American Studies (minor)

Current Job:  Assistant Scientist in the Quality Control Group for BASF Plant Science located in Research Triangle Park, NC

Words of Wisdom: Take advantage of all that Elon has to offer and do not be afraid to explore new interests. Also, enjoy your time there because it goes by faster than you can ever imagine!

Molly Schriber-Cushing ‘11

Green Building Education Intern 2010-2011

Major/Minor(s): Environmental Studies and International Studies

Jobs: Wealth Advisor Associate, Morgan Stanley (current), Assistant Director of Operations at the International School for Earth Studies in Quebec, Canada (previous).

Words of Wisdom: Be super friendly and smile a lot. Always have your customers, clients or coworkers best interest at heart.

If you don’t get along with coworkers, your work will reflect it and you’ll need to find something else to do.

Always have the bigger picture in mind and strive to have a positive impact.

Brittany Siciliano, ‘11

Sustainability Intern, Eco-Rep Coordinator 2010-2011

Major: BS Environmental Studies

Graduate School: University of New Hampshire, MA in Environmental Education.

Current Job: Sustainability Coordinator through LISC AmeriCorps at People’s Emergency Center in Philadelphia.

Words of Wisdom: Elon cares very much about your success in and out of college but it is up to you to take advantage of what they have to offer. You are learning the skills that you will be using throughout your career so take great care with assignments and enjoy the extracurricular activities. I suggest having Elon look over your resume while you’re still in school and talking to career services about interviewing and other aspects of looking for a job. But most importantly have fun. Elon has given me some of my most memorable moments and I am so grateful for every one of them. Have fun, be safe and realize that Elon is a one of a kind experience so take advantage of the time you have.

Nick Dioguardi, ‘10

Sustainability Intern Spring 2009, GHG Intern Summer 2009

Major / Minor(s): Environmental Studies, BA / GIS and Geography

Current Job: Park Ranger for the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources at William B. Umstead State Park in Raleigh, NC.

Words of Wisdom: Number one, make the most of your time at college. You’ll only regret the things you don’t do so do everything you can during your time here. Looking back and wishing you had taken a class or did an intramural sport or even just talked to that cute guy/girl at the gym is no fun.

Number two is that when you graduate, if you have the means and the ability to do so, take some time and travel somewhere you’ve always wanted to go. I drove across country and rode my bike down the coast of Washington and Oregon and it was one of the best experiences of my life. I learned a year’s worth of college education in that trip alone. This may be the last time for quite a while that you won’t have work or family obligations so take advantage of it if you can.

And lastly, while you should try to keep focused on a career goal, don’t think that you’re too good for any job that presents itself to you and pays the bills. If you have to work in a restaurant or as a plumber or stocking shelves at a grocery store while you figure out what you want to do, do it. In the end, you won’t regret any job that you worked hard at and gave your all.