Sustainability Program Hosts Inaugural Alumni Career Dialogue Panel
March 31, Undergraduate Sustainability program Hosted the first alumni career conversation group. Held in Lerner Hall, the event creates an intimate space for students to meet and discuss with alumni with similar academic backgrounds. Students are exposed to various sectors, career paths and projects in the field of sustainable development.
The team consisted of four graduates of the sustainability program: Sofia Assab (GS ’22), Alyssa Menz (CC ’15), Jesse Thorson (CC ’18) and Hannah Friedman (CC ’19).
The March 31 Career Dialogue event featured a panel discussion among Sustainability alumni. Panelists left to right: Sofia Assab, Alyssa Menz, Jesse Thorson and Hannah Friedman.
Sofia Assab (GS ’22) is an ESG Advisor Witham, advises numerous large and medium-sized companies on how to develop ESG strategies. While at Columbia, she also co-founded Eden Labs, a tech startup focused on making the cloud open source and improving efficiency.
Alyssa Menz (CC ’15) is a second-year Ph.D. A student at the Yale School of the Environment, she is researching corporate net zero commitments, the gap between decarbonization ambition and action, and mission-driven companies. Before joining Yale, she spent five years at DAI Global, an international development firm, specializing in corporate social investing, sustainable entrepreneurship and innovation, and energy.
Jesse Thorson (CC ’18) is a strategist third party partner, a boutique management consulting and impact consulting firm dedicated to positive change.he was in Sustainable Development Center At Columbia University, he managed research and convened initiatives at the intersection of sustainability, ethics, and religion.
Hannah Friedman (CC ’19) is the founding principal of Planeteer Capital, a venture capital fund that invests in pre-seed and seed-stage climate technology startups.Previously, she worked in the venture capital team of Closed Loop Partners for nearly four years, investing in Circular Economy And author of the Closed Loop’s Navigating Plastic Alternatives report.
Sustainability Program Co-Directors Jason Smerden and Lisa Dale introduced the panel.
The panel answered a series of questions from host and show co-director Lisa Dyer. The questions cover topics such as skills used in the career, important courses to take, and advice for students entering the field.
Panelists shared similar insights on how the skills they learned from the program translated to their jobs. These skills include interconnection, critical thinking, writing and communication. They explain the importance of being able to synthesize knowledge and sustainability concepts and communicate them to different audiences, especially those who may not be familiar with them.
Students participating in the event asked the panelists questions and learned more about their educational and professional experiences.
The next question focuses on the courses recommended during the program. Alyssa shared more about her experience studying abroad in the CU Jordan program and completing the capstone and thesis projects in the program. Jesse also spoke about his dissertation project experience and the opportunity to delve into topics of interest. Hannah shares how she enjoys her Economics class and is able to build projects within the course. She also offers advice for students on taking advantage of all the experiences, networks and opportunities while in New York City. Sophia talks about how she enjoys the ethics class, and more about her experiences in the culminating workshops, which are student-led and bring together skills from previous classes.
Discussion moves on to understanding their careers and working within their studies. Panelists all work in similar areas focusing on ESG, consulting and corporate sustainability. They shared advice on work-life balance, well-being, and life adjustments after study.
The Alumni Symposium this term was a great success and we look forward to hosting it again next year. Thanks to this year’s guest!
For information on upcoming events, visit the Sustainability Undergraduate Program website.
graduate Students in the undergraduate sustainability program go on to work in public, private, and nonprofit organizations, and many go on to graduate studies in sustainability, environmental law, and public policy.To learn more about the program, please visit our website.
