My graduate student mentor, Amy, is currently in the MSUS program at Chatham. She has a degree in Applied Anthropology from IUP, where she was also a Spanish minor. She worked with students and communities in Pittsburgh and now works with Aquaponics and Sustainability education. She’s looking to study green and renewable infrastructure now as a grad student. She has studied abroad for language in the summer and also spent time volunteering. Additionally she partook in research projects which she presented at many conferences throughout her undergraduate experience.
Though she is not technically in the business department, Amy is a great role model for me through her Spanish minor, study abroad & internship experience, and her studies of sustainability. Additionally she has work experience involving businesses and gave me advice for building one’s portfolio. Amy recommends forming good study habits to perform daily. Every day she takes two hours in a library or other comfortable workspace. Even if she does not have things necessarily due, it is great to help to get ahead in readings. Additionally, to prevent procrastination for writing papers, she makes sure to write for 15 minutes each day, completing one paragraph and the first sentence of the following one, so it is easy to pick up again the next day.
Participating in research project opened up many doors for Amy. As aforementioned, she took part in long-term research projects which she them presented at many different conferences. This helped her to fill her resumé with specific skills such as public speaking and communications and others required for the specific research. This was highly beneficial to her in job interviews as this showed she could push herself above and beyond what was required, would put effort into projects, had good work ethic, and possessed specific and detailed knowledge about certain subjects which she could then tie into many other classes in her curriculum.
Amy would probably agree with much of the article "Miriam Parson, Alumna '14, on Starting a Career in Sustainability," by Caitlin Fadgen. Here, Miriam says “The classic career advice which states that ‘pathways are fluid and what you make of them,’ is absolutely true. I create my impact from within the platform that I find myself in, rather than searching for a direct and perfect career placement.” This correlates with Amy’s note about how she was able to connect research projects and sustainability to a variety of courses. Additionally Miriam emphasizes that project experience is one of the most helpful things in the job search. While good grades are great, having volunteer and internship experience shows that you can get the job done. She also provides students with a myriad of networking advice, emphasizing the importance of the connections you build which may turn into job opportunities later on. For example, Amy attained an internship by talking to a professor whose research was of interest to her, and opportunity blossomed from that connection.
Overall, the MSUS program prepares students for sustainability management and leadership across many sectors, including business. This concept is one I plan to take with me as I pursue a career in corporate social responsibility. Miriam says that sustainability is centered around building equity - something many businesses seek to do by treating the people and environments involved in their supply chain well, so that everyone, not just the business itself, benefits. This connects with Sandra Taylor’s presentation about CSR and with my own research about Gap Inc. whose CSR website quite literally has “sustainability” in its URL. Overall, Miriam and Amy seem to agree that sustainability can be applied directly to business and used to enhance one’s own perspective and that of those with whom they work.
References:
Fadgen, C. (2016, August 17). Miriam Parson, Alumna '14, on Starting a Career in Sustainability. Retrieved October 11, 2018, from http://blogs.chatham.edu/businessblogs/2016/05/20/miriam-parson-alumna-14-on-starting-a-career-in-sustainability/
Our futures are woven together. (n.d.). Retrieved October 9, 2018, from http://www.gapinc.com/content/gapinc/html/sustainability.html
