Sara Reese ’16 outside the offices of Environment America in Washington, D.C.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø students, interning this summer at companies such as NBCUniversal, Hukkster, Nike, and Facebook, are sharing their experiences. This post is written by Sara Reese ’16 at Environment America.
This summer, I’m interning with Environment America, a nonprofit environmental advocacy organization in Washington, D.C. Graduating high school, I knew that I wanted a career in the environmental field, and beginning with advocacy seemed like the perfect way to really understand the basis of the environmental movement.
Specifically, I am the communications intern. A large part of my time is devoted to gaining media attention for Environment America and the issues we work on: stopping global warming, protecting national parks, and re-powering America with cleaner energy that will lead to cleaner water and air.
I write letters to the editor, press releases, and op-eds on Environment America’s behalf, amplifying our work to major newspapers like the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, and the Washington Post.
I am also in charge of building relationships with reporters, newspapers, other advocacy groups, and decision makers. For example, while at an event, my boss and I connected with a major L.A. Times reporter. This reporter in turn featured a large quote from Environment America in her next climate change article.
One of the most rewarding moments from my work this summer was being able to attend President Obama’s climate change speech in late June. Most of my work in May and June was targeted at the president, asking him to act on climate change. The fact that my work was influential in pressing President Obama to take action will definitely be the most gratifying aspect of working for Environment America this summer.
Besides spending a large part of my time writing and making connections, I also participate in grassroots advocacy, the heart of the organization. Each week, all of the interns go to places like the National Mall and try to get people involved, whether that’s through signing a letter to the president or participating in a photo petition.
Not only has this internship exposed me to the interaction between advocacy, the environment, and politics, but it has also taught me the toughness, hard work, and passion needed in the environmental field.
Living independently in D.C. for the summer and being able to experience the environmental movement firsthand, I am incredibly grateful that I have been able to intern at Environment America at such a pivotal time in the movement.
— Sara Reese ’16 (Midlothian, VA)