Name: Emma Wu
Class Year: 2018
Major: Geology
Hometown: Houston, Texas

Internship Placement: School District of Philadelphia
Job Title: Office of Environmental Management and Services
Location: Philadelphia, Pa.

What’s happening at your internship?

I am working on a couple projects! Primarily, my job is facilitating a district wide waste diversion competition that will run next school year. Secondly, I am working on a Recycling Resource Guide that compiles signage, troubleshooting guides, set-up tips, etc., for schools that will be starting their recycling programs in the fall. Smaller projects of mine have included making a Principals How To Guide to give principals an access point to start sustainbilizing (not really a word, but my department uses it constantly and claims it will be by the completion of their program) their schools, making a master social media calendar, sitting on environmentally focused committees, and completing typical data management tasks.

Why did you apply for this internship?

I have always been interested in conservation and education! I thought this would be a good opportunity to work on improving real world skills in both of these fields. My previous experience is mostly in research and I wanted to try out working in an office. I have also never stayed in Philadelphia for the summer and this job gave me plenty of opportunities to explore downtown Philadelphia.

What has been your favorite part of this internship?

I have learned so much about design I expected this internship to push me to practice using any conservation, education and networking skills I have gathered through my time at Bryn Mawr. I did not expect this internship to utilize any of my passions for art. I’ve been able to cultivate a relatively brandable aesthetic that will be used by the district in multiple resource guides. This has not only encouraged me to improve my eye for layout work but also heightened my awareness around readership accessibility.

Can you give us three adjectives and three nouns that describe your internship experience?

Adjectives: Personally informative, Rewarding, and Environmentally Conscious

Nouns: Aesthetic, A Challenge, Sustainable Design