To recognize Earth Week 2025, the Sustainability and Environmental Studies department (SES) recently held a handful of events, which included an alumni panel featuring five Denison graduates who work in sustainability. Covering a wide range of fields and roles, these alumni provided valuable insight into what Denison students could do after graduation, outlining how their educational experience and personal interests brought them to the jobs they hold today. Featured left to right in the image, students heard from John Moore, who is working for a group that is focused on transitioning the US power grid to 100% clean energy, Dan Emerine, a transportation and urban planning specialist at the Department of Energy and Environment, Sophie Lee, who works in environmental communications, Anna Fash, who advises on environmental regulations for urban developers in Austin, Texas, and Patrick Lunt, an environmental consultant who focuses on remediation of mistakes with negative environmental impacts.
For as widely as the five panelists vary in their professions, a few shared themes stuck out during the session. As the alumni shared how they got into sustainability, each one outlined how their time on campus shaped their personal interest in the field, which in turn steered them to get the jobs they hold today. Anna outlined her involvement in the Granville community that sparked her interest, while Patrick talked about his experience helping put up solar panels near the football field. Also shared between the panelists was the fact that regardless of their major, all five of them found their own path. Sophie, a former communication major, found her niche in a project communications team, where she works through challenges with external stakeholders to keep projects moving, and puts out information about major milestones reached. She outlined how even if you graduate with a degree in one area, you can get involved anywhere you want.
When asked about what they’re excited about in the sustainability world, the alumni group had a ton of answers. Dan shared his confidence in the development of dense, walkable communities, as they become more common in the United States with recent projects, especially due to their high financial viability for developers, and increasing demand among urban and suburban residents. John talked about the ways that corporations have reshaped their sustainability roles, so that they contribute directly to profitability and effective resource management, leading to better job security for the people in those departments. Sophie is looking forward to expansion of clean energy efforts, noting the steady ongoing increase in clean energy market share. As Dan said, working in sustainability, especially in the government, is about “the art of the possible,” which is exemplified in the ways that all of the panelists have continued to find ways to contribute to societal sustainability improvements, even as regulations change around them.
The group was asked how to prepare effectively for a sustainability-related career, and two answers were echoed across the board. First, get good at writing. There are so many different contexts that the panelists talked about how writing was critical to their work, including persuasive writing, summarization, or even regulatory legislative drafting. While no student needs to be experienced in every one, a strong foundational ability is seriously useful for when you need to stack new skills on top. The other necessary piece to start in sustainability is starting conversations with the people that can help you. John noted, “I cannot believe how many people do not simply reach out to me, either before or after a conversation about employment.” Although it can be uncomfortable at first, most of the panelists talked in some capacity about the value of starting conversations with the people who you can learn from, and those who can help you reach your goals. No resume will be as useful as a conversation, so go push through the nervousness and make it happen.
Many thanks to the SES department and our panelists for putting together such a great learning opportunity. Students who met with the panelists after the group session got a lot out of it, not to mention the rest of a successful Earth Week of programming.
