April 10, 2017
Networking event offers keen insight to environmental careers
Amy Wells of the Chicago Botanic Garden met with students during the Environmental Careers Networking Event.
Students met environmental industry professionals in a small-group networking event to learn about the variety of careers that will allow them to have an impact on the environment and apply their investigative skills to advance environmental science and related initiatives.
The Environmental Careers Networking Event, held on campus in March, drew more than a dozen students to Calvin Durand Lounge.
“The event was a great opportunity for students to learn about the broader scope of environmental careers available to them, to hear how alumni and other industry professionals found their particular path, and to gain advice on what to expect as they enter the workforce in the coming years,” said Career Advancement Center Assistant Director Colleen Monks. “The students walked away excited about their next steps and possible career paths in this field.”
Isabelle Cadrot ’19 is one of the students who attended to find out how professionals in environmental sciences navigated the job market. After meeting with the industry leaders, Cadrot learned “you can arrive at a career you enjoy through many different pathways, so you should not be afraid to take the opportunities that present themselves,” she said. “There are so many different pathways because the field is so interdisciplinary.”
On hand to share their professional insight with students were:
- Andrew Annunzio, weather analyst, Millennium Management
- Samuel Bodine ’94, senior project manager/managing partner, EPS Environmental Services
- Leah Scull ’09, policy associate, Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance Inc.
- Amy Kerr Wells, manager of youth and family programs, Chicago Botanic Garden
“The most important message I tried to convey to the students is that the future of environmental careers is bright,” Scull said. “There will always be private entities looking for visionary leaders to help them become more sustainable and use less natural resources. Top Fortune companies are looking to shrink their carbon footprint.”
Wells tried to impress on students the critical need for networking. “It is who you know that gets you in the door, but it is what you know that keeps you there,” she said. “You never know who will introduce you to your next boss or mentor. None of us jumped directly into what we are doing now, but we had a path to it—and the path may lead us onto something different.”
