Volunteers

At 17 years old, Michael Elkins followed his good friend's lead and joined the world of military service.

My name is Jisela Herrera and I am a fourth-year student at the University of California, Riverside. Science has always been a passion of mine and more specifically, environmental science. I knew I wanted to intern at an organization where I could make a positive impact in people’s lives and the future of our planet. As someone who is deeply passionate about social justice and environmentalism, I found GRID Alternatives to be the perfect internship for me as it has given me the opportunity to contribute to the environment and society in a much broader spectrum. The first thing that attracted me to GRID Alternatives was their mission statement. GRID Alternatives installs solar systems at no cost to low-income homeowners and I knew from the start that I wanted to partner up with an organization with integrity, which I found here at GRID.

Our armed forces hails brave men and women who not only serve our country, but also provides troops with training in various fields. GRID IE Construction Intern Jesse Mota moved through the ranks from Private to Master Gunnery Sergeant while serving in the United States Marines before landing at GRID Alternatives. “I was stationed in Panama as an Embassy Guardian. My duties included acting as a ‘changing of the guards’ to gain confidence and develop trust with the locals,” Jesse reflected. While in the Marines, Jesse developed a broad range of skill sets that set the stage for his career in the solar industry, including his experience as a combat engineer. He was honorably discharged after 25 faithful years of service to the American people.

Ahmed Habib has always been extremely interested in renewable energy, installation, and design. He decided to pursue a degree in electrical engineering at Northern Arizona University and eventually graduated in 2013. Ahmed recently designed a $53,000 interactive solar PV system for an elementary school and wanted to further expand on these projects. Wanting to also advance in the solar industry, Ahmed decided to volunteer for GRID in order to obtain more skills and experience. “I have always had an interest in solar and wanted to help people,” he states, “GRID was the perfect opportunity to get some training.”

We would like to thank all our veterans and current service members for defending our country.

GRID Alternatives provides career exploration and solar education to K-14 students through its Solar Futures program. The curriculum provided through Solar Futures inspires young students to become the next generation of solar leaders. It also offers the opportunity to get hands-on experience in a field that is growing by 20 percent each year. Over 600 students have already been trained through this program, and approximately 65 solar projects have been built for Inland Empire’s disadvantaged communities as a result of these students efforts.

Roger Stark was born and raised in Ohio. At 18 years old and fed up with harsh Ohio winters, Roger trekked across the nation, finding himself in sunny San Diego where he was recruited as a Marine. He served during the Vietnam era for three years. He was filled with excitement when he first enlisted, learning quickly what serving this country means – leadership, teamwork, reliability and community service.

Solarthon is GRID Alternatives’ flagship community installation event, bringing together people from all walks of life – including individual volunteers, corporate sponsors, and community leaders – and with the completion of this achievement low-income residents of Los Angeless will benefit from over $200,000 in lifetime savings.