We are excited to share with you that the Sustainability Graduate Assistant position has been filled by current Master’s in Environmental Management and Sustainability student Kelly McNab. The position will involve assisting the Office of Sustainability and the School of Behavioral and Social Sciences (BSS) research and implement sustainable practices on campus, develop web and blog content, assist with program development for undergraduate and graduate environmentally-focused degrees, and act as a liaison between student groups and the sustainability staff.
Kelly is a part of the fourth cohort of the Professional Science Master in Environmental Management and Sustainability (MSEM) program. This program focuses on ecological issues through the combined disciplines of environmental science and project management. Students spend a year in Austin taking classes and creating research projects, then travel to Costa Rica for four weeks to conduct field research, and finally spend the final semester gaining real-world experience with a full-time internship.
Kelly is highly interested in implementing conservation practices, especially to benefit and protect ecologically-significant areas. She is also interested in working with local groups and low socio-economic communities. As the Sustainability Graduate Assistant she looks forward to creating and helping foster new sustainability initiatives on campus, as well as continuing to support current initiatives, including “Tap the Hilltop”, an ambitious program dedicated to transforming SEU into a bottled water-free campus.
As an undergraduate student at Colorado State University, Kelly studied Natural Resources Management and Global Environmental Sustainability in order to further her passion of protecting our environment and creating a sustainable future. She has worked with several non-profit conservation and environmental groups around the country and has dreams of eventually working internationally, particularly in Central America. Her experience studying abroad in Belize and working with marine conservation NGOs in that region has led her to have a deep appreciation of small, local organizations making big changes in the conservation world, and she hopes to one day be a key part of those vital groups.
Kelly is excited to be the liaison between many of the important organizations on campus, including Students for Sustainability, faculty, Facilities, and the Office of Sustainability. She believes that collaboration amongst these groups will continue to pave the way for St. Edward’s to be truly one the “greenest” campuses in the country.
Help us welcome Kelly to the hilltop!