Amanda Sweeney, COL ’24, Philadelphia, PA
My summer as an intern with PennEnvironment could not have been more worthwhile. As my first internship in college outside of Penn, I was nervous at first. However, I met a lot of inspiring advocates throughout the program who made me feel comfortable in a new work environment.
The highlight of the program has to be Climate Action Lobby Day–an annual event held by PennEnvironment in the month of June to push our state legislature to take bold climate action. This year, we focused on pushing the Pennsylvania legislature to pass a 100% renewable energy bill through the planning of a Climate Action Lobby Day in Pennsylvania. In order to help accomplish this, I have attended briefing sessions on the major environmental issues impacting Pennsylvanians, written supporting articles and testimonials, and organized meetings with state representatives and state senators for Pennsylvanians to voice their concerns on the climate crisis. I also emailed, called, and texted PennEnvironment volunteers to recruit them for the event and to answer any questions they had about the meetings. Over 200 Pennsylvanians attended Lobby Day, and after the lobby meetings we got an additional cosponsor on the 100% renewable energy bill.
As a rising Junior in the School of Arts and Sciences studying Political Science and Environmental Studies, this work allows me to have hands-on experience with the type of work I hope to do after graduation from Penn. Working on these projects have enhanced my writing, organizational, and communication abilities, but more importantly taught me that individuals can make a difference, even on an issue as daunting as climate change.
This is part of a series of posts by recipients of the 2022 Career Services Summer Funding Grant. We’ve asked funding recipients to reflect on their summer experiences and talk about the industries in which they spent their summer. You can read the entire series here
