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WHAT I LEARNED AS THE GREENOVATE’S NORTHEASTERN CO-OP

By October 23, 2019 No Comments

Krishana Abrahim was the first Northeastern Co-op Intern for Greenovate Boston from January 2017 – June 2017. Here she reflects on what she’s learned, and how the experience has prepared her for what’s next.

 

I joined the Greenovate team as their first ever Northeastern Co-op Intern in January 2017. As a native of Dorchester, graduate of Boston Latin School, current Environmental Studies and Political Science student at Northeastern University, and avid supporter of the  environment, working for the City of Boston has been an honor.

Meaningful work

I feel fortunate to have worked alongside community members from all neighborhoods to protect our environment, and to prepare and adapt to our changing climate. A few of the projects that stand out are the Greenovate Neighborhoods program, the 2017 Mayor’s Greenovate Awards, and the Greenovate Neighborhoods first ever Meet & Greet event.

Throughout my time at City Hall, I supported Greenovate’s Neighborhoods program by helping host and facilitate monthly meetings with Boston neighborhood groups working to engage residents in climate action.

I contributed to the 2017 Mayor’s Greenovate Awards, which recognizes Boston’s climate leaders. I supported the nomination process by organizing, reviewing, and helping manage  the public voting process. One of my favorite parts of this project was learning more about the individuals, organizations, and business that strive to make Boston a greener City!

By far, my biggest accomplishment would be the Greenovate Neighborhoods Meet & Greet event. I created the concept of the event and helped plan the Meet & Greet with the support of Jessica. This was my first time planning an event, and to have it be as successful as it was, was encouraging! I’m excited to continue to strengthen my event planning skills in future roles. This event helped to strengthen neighborhood climate action partnerships, and facilitate a stronger movement to “greenovate” Boston, allowing residents to learn about neighborhood groups the City regularly collaborates with to help to implement the Climate Action Plan, and the best way to get involved with those groups. You can read the recap blog here!

The Team

I was lucky enough to have the support and guidance from a great team: Greenovate Boston Program Manager Jessica Feldish, Director of Communications and Community Engagement Lauren Zingarelli, and Greenovate Boston Writing Fellow Elena Huisman. Working alongside Jessica, Lauren, and Elena has truly been the best part of working for Greenovate Boston.

Jessica is passionate in community climate action and in enthusiastic in connecting with Boston’s diverse neighborhoods. Jess is a great supervisor and I’ve learned so much about community engagement, connecting with other greenovators, and the importance of being green! Lauren is a well-versed in communicating environmental information and has continuously supported and encouraged my work. Elena is experienced in a wide range of fields including education, environmental policy, food policy research, and much more! It was great to work alongside fellow Huskies, Jessica and Elena, and to learn from their own co-op experiences.

I have also worked with: Climate Preparedness Program Manager Mia Goldwasser, Recycling Policy Director Susan Cascino, Renew Boston Community Outreach Manager Lourdes Lopez, and the Renew Boston Fellow Jeff Vaz.

I plan to take what I learned from my team with me to future opportunities and cannot thank the Greenovate Boston team enough!

What’s next

I am taking the rest of the summer to relax and reflect on my co-op experience. I start classes again in September and plan to use what I learned while on co-op to finish my degree strong! I highly recommend my fellow classmates at Northeastern to apply to Greenovate Boston for their co-op! I hope to eventually find my way back into City Hall working with like-minded individuals who care about making change in the world!