Rist Institute for Sustainability & Energy’s Post

Aya began college amid COVID-19, never imagining what she’d achieve. During her first year of virtual classes, she switched from civil engineering to Kennedy College of Sciences environmental science after a chat with Prof. Lori Weeden. By sophomore year, she was on campus, connecting with peers and studying abroad in Valencia, Spain, with Prof. Thomas Piñeros Shields. Aya interned for Valencia’s Climate Emergency Service, became a resident advisor her junior year, and later attended COP28 in Dubai. Going into her senior year, she landed a summer internship with the City of Everett, where she helped assess and evaluate tree conditions to mitigate the urban heat island effect. After graduating a semester early, she returned to Everett as an energy advocate intern. Now, Aya plans to pursue a master’s in urban and environmental policy at Tufts. "UMass Lowell was great. I don’t think I would have done so much or even considered this path for myself without the university," she says. To read more about Aya’s University of Massachusetts Lowell journey, visit https://lnkd.in/e6GNGg7w

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Thomas Pineros-Shields

Public Policy Sociologist, Experiential Educator and Action Researcher

3mo

Wonderful post Aya! Congratulations on graduation and your next adventure!

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