After returning to El Paso after graduating with a major in Environmental Studies and Political Science and a minor in French, I worked with Texas Senator Jose Rodriguez in his district office as a legislative intern. I then did one year of AmeriCorps VISTA service with the City of El Paso Resilience and Sustainability Department. I worked at the El Pasoans Fighting Hunger Food Bank as the Food Donor Relations manager and director of food recovery. I now work for a new urban planning and sustainability consulting firm in El Paso as a sustainability specialist. I am also an independent contractor for an environmental nonprofit Eco El Paso and an independent contractor for a company in Sherman, TX doing translations from English to French.
The experiential learning I received at Austin College paved the way for my current career. I met my current director when I did a self-organized Janterm career study off campus. Through that Janterm, I also arranged a summer internship for the following semester with the current director of community and human development for the City of El Paso. The connections I made during that Janterm are connections I still have and are stronger now. In addition, I was able to study one full year abroad where I immersed myself in French language and environmental policy. Those immersive experiences changed my perspective on the world and have led to me having a more understanding, open mind.