In the third installment of our “Humans of MENV” article series, we feature stories from multiple students that touch on their reasons for choosing MENV and what they've learned in the first few months since starting the program.
Jennalee Battson, Environmental and Natural Resources Policy
“I was running a brewery in Chicago when the pandemic hit, but had been thinking about going back to school for a long time. I had no experience in the environmental or political field other than working with legislators and lobbying as a volunteer with the Sierra Club, which I absolutely loved, but didn’t have much time for. So when I had nothing but time, I started looking into programs. I was drawn to MENV since the professors were all practitioners. Having been in various careers, I knew I didn’t want to go back to straight academia so I was drawn to MENV’s approach. I also always wanted to live in Colorado so that was a plus.
Since starting the program, my eyes are opening up to the possibilities that can happen after school. I came in with the idea that I’d learn policy and go work in government, but now I’m realizing I can do policy in all sorts of different fields. Hearing from professors and learning about the opportunities around us has been really helpful, and every class I leave thinking about a career path in a different direction that I could go. I’ve also learned that the life lessons I’ve gathered along the way can be applicable, regardless of how I learned them. Skills like time management, collaboration, conflict resolution are really impactful in this field - it's all about how you apply them.”
Aniket Agrawal, Renewable & Sustainable Energy
“I have a background in mechanical engineering and worked as a production engineer after graduating but didn’t find the job satisfying. I wanted to have a greater impact on society, so I joined an organization called "Teach for India", whose mission is to solve India’s education crisis while creating a movement of teachers as leaders. The experience of teaching for three years made it clear that I wanted to have a social impact, but I also missed the technical aspect of work. I had a passion for science, a love for nature, and a desire to make a significant difference, so I decided I wanted to work on climate change. I searched for programs in India but couldn’t find one with a curriculum that satisfied the combination of impact and technical skills. When I came across MENV, the program description struck me: “transforms students into leaders equipped to address our most pressing environmental challenges.” This in a way connected to what the Teach for India mission is and really made me want to apply.
From the last few months I’ve been in the MENV program, I’ve learned that I’m able to adapt. I’ve experienced a lot of cultural shifts coming from a different country, so it’s been interesting to move to a mountain town and adjust to cooler weather, meet new people, and different surroundings. I also had a bit of a language barrier and had to expand my boundaries, which was initially quite challenging, but I’m slowly adapting. I’m now on a clearer path to getting where I want to be. Before coming to MENV I had ideas of what I wanted, but the path seemed a little hazy. Now, as I move through the program, the integration of the technical, business, and policy learnings (especially in the RSE specialization) are coming together, and I have a better vision and clarity on what that path looks like.”
Natasha Way, Environmental and Natural Resources Policy
“I studied environmental health in undergrad and I knew I wanted to be in the environmental field, but didn’t know where. I worked in environmental education for a while, working with kids and teaching, but was frustrated talking about climate change and not feeling like I was doing anything. Then I moved into nonprofit work doing community sustainability, but I was working on small issues and wanted to tackle larger ones. We were also at the whim of government policy. We could do all this work at the ground level and then one small policy would change and completely alter our work. So I felt a bit disillusioned with grassroots work, which is why I wanted to swap into policy and really liked that MENV was so hands-on and interactive.
What I’ve learned about myself is that I can be more driven than I expected, which has been a pleasant surprise. When you get to focus on something that’s really interesting to you, it makes all the difference. I’ve always done fine at school, but never really liked it. It’s cool to be able to realize how much I can thrive when I’m actually doing work I find really interesting.”
Vince Fuggetta, Environmental and Natural Resources Policy
"I graduated with a degree in physics and moved to Thailand right out of college to teach English, but eventually spent the majority of my time there teaching physics in downtown Bangkok. While abroad, I was able to travel a lot and experience really beautiful places. I went scuba diving in Thailand and saw the Himalayas while on a three week trekking trip in Nepal. I found myself connected with these experiences, which got me thinking about how I could translate those feelings of happiness and fulfillment into a career. I’ve always been concerned about the environment but after having these experiences I understood that climate change could take away the joy I felt when seeing corals and snow-capped mountains. So I decided to do work to prevent that from happening.
The more I reflected, the more I realized I needed to get academic training and learn from people who have worked in the environmental sector. I landed on the MENV program because it's a professional program aimed towards preparing people to go directly into the workforce. It’s also bridging the gap between environmental science and policy which I think is the direction we need to move towards. We know the science; now we need to implement solutions. The hard part is changing society, governments, and people to actually solve the problem. I felt this program was a perfect fit for my view on how to address environmental issues.
Since I’ve started the MENV program, I've learned that I actually enjoy the assignments I'm doing in class. We’re writing issue briefs and policy memos to explain a particular environmental issue and convince an individual or organization to take a particular action. I really like researching issues and potential solutions and making an argument. I had an idea of what environmental policy entailed before joining the MENV program, but now that I'm actually doing the work it has confirmed my choice in coming here and pursuing this specialization. Learning and getting feedback from professors on these assignments has been critical because they have experience and know what the briefs and memos should look like. I’m happy I enjoy it because I know I’m on the right path."