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.
My time at GRID Alternatives has been such an amazing experience. On my first day interning, I remember feeling so welcomed by every single employee, volunteer, and intern here and that feeling has not gone away. Balancing four classes, three jobs, and this internship while also applying for graduate school made my schedule extremely busy. However, the Marketing manager Cliff Le Blanc was very understanding and flexible with my schedule, ultimately I was able to work 100 hours by the end of the quarter. Cliff made my experience at GRID Alternatives the absolute best. He walked me through all my job tasks assigned so I understood expectations. I could not have asked for a better mentor and leader.
I am very fortunate to be able to participate in a team that helps underserved families while contributing to sustainability at the same time. I have attended solar panel installations and seen first-hand how a one or two-day installation project can have a major impact on families who are able to save hundreds of dollars on electricity. Additionally, these same projects will also have an everlasting impact on the environment in the future. My career goal is to have a similar impact on the community on such a large scale.
Working for the marketing department has allowed me to expand my software, communication, organizational, marketing, and customer service abilities. The experience I obtained from working at GRID are skills that I know will help me for a lifetime in the workforce as I approach graduation and the start of my future next year.
Next year, I plan on conducting research and learning more about biosphere to further expand my knowledge base. I will be graduating in June and I am currently applying for graduate school to pursue a master’s degree. Eventually, I would love to either become a professor or get into sustainable administration and management. I believe my GRID internship has provided me with many of the necessary skills and resources to possibly have a career in not only renewable energy, but sustainability as well. With solar energy being one of the fastest growing industries in the nation, I am very excited for what the future holds and I am very fortunate to be able to have GRID Alternatives as a basis for the next steps in my future. Interning at GRID has been such a positive learning and growing experience for me.
If you are a seeking an internship or would like to build practical skills in the solar industry, GRID Alternatives is your solution. You will have an opportunity to develop and expand on your knowledge and skills that can lead you to a clean energy job. If you would like to know more information about internships or other volunteer opportunities, you can reach our workforce development department by calling 951-272-4743 or visiting our website at gridalternatives.org/ie.