Thursday, May 22, 2008

PEOPLE: SSC Summer Interns

We'd like to take a minute to welcome our new spring interns. They are an intrepid bunch with a wide-ranging skill set, and we're looking forward to tapping into their knowledge!

Brittany Durbin is a freshly minted graduate of Bucknell University where she studied management and studio art, earning a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. Her immediate career plans include beginning her first full-time job with Lord & Taylor in New York City this September, entering their esteemed executive trainee program in order to earn job status as a buyer and financial planner. Ms. Durbin is passionate about helping companies become more (if not entirely) sustainable and plans to make this a part of her career in the future. She currently resides in her hometown of Ellwood City, PA, and enjoys all things "Pittsburgh," tennis, music new and old, and art.

Ida Arabshahi is currently a graduate student in a dual MA degree program at American University and the University for Peace in Costa Rica where she is studying natural resources and sustainable development. She has experience working on a wide range of issues in the environmental field including environmental justice, environmental education, and environmental legislation. Ida is interested in sustainable supply chains and transboundary environmental conflict management.

Joe Vandette is currently pursuing undergraduate degrees in Environmental Studies and Marketing at the University of Utah. His interest in sustainability began while studying resource management at the University of Otago in New Zealand. Joe returned to the States and helped conduct carbon emissions inventories as a volunteer at the University of Montana and as an intern at the University of Utah Office of Sustainability. When not involved with sustainability-related initiatives, Joe can be found outdoors, hiking, mountain biking, and snowboarding.

April Hansgate is currently pursuing a master's degree in Sustainable Development and Conservation Biology at the University of Maryland. She has a strong background in scientific research, plant conservation, economics, and adaptive management for planning conservation programs.

Claire Miziolek is in her last year as an undergraduate at Cornell University where she has been pursuing a double major in Economics and Psychology. She is interested in combining these skills to assist and promote businesses into more sustainable practices. She was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland where she lived next to a forest, sparking her early interest in the environment. She is an active member of the Sustainable Enterprise Association at Cornell and recently became a Master Composter.