Hosted by the Global Council for Science and the Environment (GCSE), this event served as an opportunity to expose our EnvironMentors high school student participants to a variety of career pathways, network with professionals in their career area of interest and enhance their professional development at a pivotal point in their career.
Guest Speakers shared their personal background and professional experiences with the students, including what made them interested in pursuing an environmental STEM field, how they got there and what advice they had for the students as they're exploring their career interests after high school.
This event was part of the 2024 EnvironMentors Science Fair and Awards Ceremony held annually in Washington, D.C. for high school students from chapters across the United States.
Speakers
Keynote Address:
Sonrisa Lucero, Special Advisor for Stakeholder Engagement in the Office of Energy Justice and Equity at the U.S. Department of Energy
Career Professional Guest Speakers:
AshaLetia Henderson, Program Coordinator, Health at National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF)
Avriel Díaz, Executive Director-Elect at the Global Council for Science and the Environment (GCSE)
Brian Leung, Lead International Specialist for the U.S. Global Change Research Program
John Boland, Policy & Advocacy Associate at Casey Trees
Lia Goodman, Undergraduate Student at Florida International University (FIU)
Denise Hill, Water Resources Program Coordinator at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Tiffany Watson, Senior Manager of Climate Policy at Salesforce
Event Agenda
12:30 - 1:00PM: Doors Open for networking and mingling
1:00 - 1:10PM: Welcome Remarks by GCSE and FIU
1:10 - 1:40PM: Lunch
1:40 - 2:30PM: Flash Talk Introductions from Guest Speakers
2:30 - 2:55PM: Keynote Address provided by Sonrisa Lucero
2:55 - 3:30PM: Speed Networking: Students rotated around the tables to meet the other Guest Speakers
3:30PM: Event Concludes with Networking and Student Q&A Opportunity
EnvironMentors is a transformative environmental science education and college access program that mentors and motivates high school students from underrepresented and underserved communities in the sciences. Founded as a local program in Washington, D.C., EnvironMentors has established chapters nationwide through partnerships with universities and nonprofit organizations. Over 2,800 high school students and college mentors have directly benefited from the program since its inception, with many more to come as the program continues to grow and scale.
For questions about this event and/or the EnvironMentors program, please reach out to our team at EnvironMentors@gcseglobal.org.