This past Tuesday, Feb. 28, the university hosted a career panel with alumni who work in areas relating to climate. The event was sponsored by the Office of Sustainability’s Year of Climate Action, Hiatt Career Center and the Environmental Studies Department. Four Brandeis alumni were present at the event, which was moved to Zoom as a result of the weather. Mary Fischer, Associate Director of Sustainability Programs at Brandeis, moderated the event.
Jen Singer ’00 majored in politics at Brandeis but went on to receive a master’s degree in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning from Tufts University. She currently works as a senior managing consultant for energy and sustainability programs in the Climate, Energy and Transportation Division at ICF, according to her bio on the event web page.
Moses Ong ’03 received a dual B.S. and B.A. degree from Brandeis, in biology and biochemistry respectively. He originally planned to go into the medical field, but ultimately decided to follow his passion for working with the environment. He currently works for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources as a fish hatchery supervisor, according to the event page.
Philip Lu ’11 majored in environmental studies while at Brandeis, and earned a joint master’s degree in Public Administration and Policy from Columbia University and the National University of Singapore. He now works as a senior permits biologist in the International Affairs Program at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).
Hannah Moshay ’18 also majored in environmental studies while at Brandeis, and received her Master of Science in sustainable water management from Tufts University. She currently works as an extension associate at North Carolina State University (NC State). Moshay described extension as translating research from the university to organic growers in North Carolina.
When asked what the greatest strength was that he received from Brandeis in starting his career, Lu mentioned the late Brandeis professor Laura Goldin, who he says helped him get an internship with the Waltham Land Trust, which inspired his later work in land management and mapping.
Singer echoed Lu’s praise of Goldin, saying she was “one of my favorite people ever.” Singer also mentioned Brian Donahue (ENVS) as a professor that influenced her during her time at Brandeis. When Singer was a student the environmental studies department was only a program with a minor, but Singer still got involved, participating in Students for Environmental Action (SEA) and the Brandeis University Recycling Program (BURP), which she and fellow students helped launch.
Moshay praised Brandeis students for being “empowered to take on passion projects,” and reminisced on her work with the Brandeis rooftop farm, which no longer exists. Moshay also gave a shout-out to Goldin, mentioning her “Greening the Ivory Tower” class as influential to her. Moshay also appreciated the flexibility in Brandeis class requirements, the emphasis on multidisciplinary knowledge, and the thesis program for students who have a “burning question” they want to explore. Similarly, Ong encouraged students to “find a passion and choose to follow it.”
When asked how she knew she wanted to pursue a career in environmental studies, Moshay explained that she knew coming to Brandeis that sustainability and the environment were her passions; however, she had “two strains” of interests that she had to choose between: conservation biology and research on food production. While studying abroad in the Turks and Caicos Islands, Moshay got the opportunity to conduct tropical marine ecology research, but realized she got seasick easily. This, plus her love for her thesis topic (corn production in the U.S.) helped push her to where she is today.
Similarly, Singer knew she was passionate about the environment in middle school. She credits her internships at the Charles River Watershed Association and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Consumer Protection working on toxics and pesticides as helping add to her passion for the environment. However, while pursuing her master’s degree at Tufts, she completed an internship that she called a “turning point” in her career, pushing her to work in climate and energy policy.
Lu described the initial catalyst for his love of the environment as his family’s visits to the Bronx Zoo, and specifically an exhibit on deforestation in the Amazon. At Brandeis, he was exposed to various classes, such as International Environmental Policy with Charlie Chester (ENVS/HS) and other classes with Chester and Goldin that showed him, along with his internship at the Waltham Land Trust, that people “were doing this on a daily basis.”
Ong, who grew up in Los Angeles, said that his time as a Boy Scout may have been an early outdoor experience that catalyzed his interest in the environment, but that he “had to face down [his] parents” about switching from being pre-med to pursuing an environmental career. He recalled Larry Wangh (BIOL) telling him that “you need to do what you want,” and though it took five or six years after his graduation from Brandeis, he ultimately followed his passion.
“Maybe it’s an Asian thing,” Ong said, and Lu echoed this, saying that it also took him time to turn away from a career in corporate sales that didn’t inspire passion in him. Lu explained that there was no one in his family pursuing an environmental career, and family members were concerned about his ability to make a living.
The next topic the panelists tackled was networking, and how it may or may not have helped them along the way. Singer started off by saying that Goldin would have been very proud of her; she recalled meeting Tedd Saunders while on a trip with Goldin’s class, and after her graduation from Tufts still had Saunders’ business card. Singer reached out to him and ended up getting a position with his environmental consulting firm, the Saunders Hotel Group and EcoLogical Solutions. She advised students to “take all the business cards, shake all the hands, write down all the emails.”
Ong emphasized that reaching out to others is important, suggesting that students find a professional organization in their chosen field or attend a professional conference and just talk to people there about their interests. He also suggested finding a mentor who can help give students inside information about the field.
Moshay pointed out that students already have a network, and that peers are part of your network too. “Networking isn’t always people above you,” she said. Alumni and classmates will always be happy to talk, and students should “always use ‘I’m a student’ while [they’re] a student because people really love talking to students.” Moshay also suggested sending emails to people you have no connection with, and professor Prakash Kashwan (ENVS) sent a link to an article on the importance of these “weak ties” in the Zoom chat.
Lu acknowledged that students are often afraid of failure or rejection, but advised students to not get discouraged, because failure and rejection are often the only ways to achieve success. He asked students to think about the worst case scenario (that you get rejected) versus the best case scenario (that you might end up getting your dream job).
Zoom attendees were then able to ask more specific questions of the panelists, if they chose. Kashwan asked what skills the panelists saw as being the most valuable for their fields or for environmental studies in general. Ong responded that after drive and passion, he saw public speaking as being most essential. He pointed out that students can combine any interest or skill set with a passion for the environment, saying that “every state agency needs a lawyer,” as well as more internal, support positions within organizations.
Moshay said that “[Environmental, social and corporate governance] ESG and carbon accounting are really big right now,” as well as anything to do with corporate sustainability. Singer advised that students be well-rounded, but committed to environmental causes, with internships and classes in related fields, and “a good story” as to why if that’s not the case. She also emphasized oral and written communication skills, saying that students should be able to speak about what their area of expertise is. Employers are also looking for students who are able to work independently and in teams, Singer said. Lu echoed the importance of being able to express your beliefs and experiences in a clear manner, both in the hiring process and once you have an internship or job.
All panelists encouraged students to reach out to them, either on LinkedIn, or as Hiatt Career Center member and Rise Together Program Director Brenda Shively put in the chat, on the Rise Together Mentor Network.
