This summer, GRID Alternatives’ Bay Area hosted two awesome student interns, Diane and Julia, in the Outreach Department of our Oakland office. The students both had busy summers in the office, and we are incredibly grateful to them for their efforts on behalf of GRID! Check out what Diane and Julia got up to this summer below!
Julia
The first real project I did was researching dozens of nonprofits in the area that work with similar communities as GRID, followed by emails and phone calls made to these organizations to try and see if they could help us extend our outreach efforts. There were some noteworthy outcomes from this project--namely, getting a booth at a fundraiser and concert in Richmond and creating connections with new organizations. Following that, I created mailers to send out to previous clients showing them their savings in both energy and money. Another exciting part of this internship was going out into the field to see how outreach is done outside of the office and creating a more comprehensive map of the areas that qualify for GRID in the North Bay region.
Diane
My first introduction to GRID Alternatives was during my freshman year at UC Berkeley. I am part of an environmental consulting group on campus, BEACN, where we partner with environmentally friendly companies; I was paired with GRID to help with marketing and outreach. When I was looking for summer internships, I immediately thought of working with GRID again and reached out to Justine, who was very welcoming. 
One of the projects I was working on was the very project that I had suggested to GRID with BEACN: that GRID reach out to local politicians so that they could be listed as a resource on the city website or monthly newsletter. It was interesting to be able to come full circle; planning a project and then seeing it through. Now hopefully many Cap & Trade-qualified homeowners will be able to reach out to GRID and install solar. It’s honestly inspiring to work with the outreach department because every individual is dedicated to helping families go solar. My experience this summer has been incredible, to say the least!
Thanks again Julia and Diane, and everyone else who interned at GRID this summer! Not only are interns vital to GRID’s work, but interning can be an incredible experience as well. To find out more about interning at GRID, send us an email at infoba@gridalternatives.org.