Corey, GRID Colorado’s new Development Intern and a Metropolitan State University senior, started working with GRID last month to build our capacity to fundraise and build partnerships to strengthen our Solar Affordable Housing and Workforce Development Programs. Corey, a Land Use in Resource Management major, found GRID and was immediately attracted to the position, as he is interested in pursuing a career related to the solar industry. “After more research,” he says, “I found that GRID’s goals were much deeper than just photovoltaics. I wanted to be a part of something that not only helps our environment and energy security, but also the community.”
By coincidence, Corey is a native of the Southwest Colorado town, Montrose, where GRID Colorado will build our next community solar project in Spring 2016. The Delta-Montrose Electric Association (DMEA) project is a 150 kW community solar array that will serve 30-50 low-income qualified families in the area. “When I looked at GRID’s project map and saw a pin in my hometown of Montrose, it was a tremendous incentive to do a good job while I’m here. Growing up in a small town like Montrose, you receive so much support from the community so it’s nice to be a part of something that will give back in a long-term way. It also made me realize the reach of GRID’s mission. Most organizations would overlook communities on the Western slope, but GRID just keeps expanding there.”
As the Development Intern with GRID, Corey works on foundation research and cultivation, responsibilities that require attention to detail and relationship management. So far, he says, the most important thing he’s gained from his internship is “learning how to interact in an environment with other professionals…. and how to communicate with others to achieve that common goal.”
Corey ultimately is pursuing a career in environmental consulting, saying “I feel that the best way to move into a more environmentally-friendly world is to integrate business and policy with sustainability.” We at the Colorado office are sure that Corey’s dedication to work hard, and enthusiasm to make the world a more sustainable place, will serve him well throughout his schooling and beyond. A big thank you to Corey and to all of our interns whose service has helped GRID make Colorado’s energy future brighter!