In May, CSCS was glad to welcome two new interns: Clara Weybright of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, who will be working as a Climate Advocacy Intern this summer, and Emily Griffioen of Belmond, Iowa, who is working in the new position of Communications Intern, in Harrisonburg, VA. Both internships are a part of an ongoing student engagement program by CSCS.

Clara is entering her senior year at Eastern Mennonite University, where she is studying Environmental Sustainability with an Environmental Science concentration. Clara was president of EMU’s Sustainable Food Initiative, which ensures that students have access to free, local produce, eggs, and milk, and is otherwise involved with projects on campus through her major. Clara became interested in this field after growing up with a sustainability-focused family and church. She was even on her home church’s creation care committee, where she learned more about the intersections of the Mennonite church and environmental action. Majoring in environmental sustainability gives Clara a chance to study at the intersection of science and policy, where she is inspired by creative solutions to climate change.

“I’ve been in this internship for about a week and I think I’m already in love with it,” says Clara. This summer, she’s looking forward to being in Washington, D.C., to see policy makers address climate change and to work alongside the Washington MCC office; “I have a lot to learn from them.” Environmental policy has always fascinated Clara, and this internship provides her with the opportunity to explore the field within the context of the Mennonite church before graduating. The Climate Advocacy Internship also gives Clara the opportunity to live out her faith in seeking justice through policy making. She hopes that by the end of the summer, she will have a deeper understanding of climate legislation and the implications it has on the community and world.

Emily Griffioen is a recent graduate of Bluffton University where she studied graphic design. In May 2017, she took a cross-cultural trip to Japan after graduating from Hesston College. During her studies, Emily became particularly fond of print and page layouts, as well as Universal Design, an intersection of accessibility and graphic design. In college, Emily was also very involved, including being in the sustainability clubs on campus. She became interested in sustainability after taking classes centered around the environment and hearing others’ stories. Graphic design gives Emily a creative outlet to help communicate messages related to issues such as climate change.

As part of Emily’s internship, she will work alongside Daniel Bellerose, who leads the communications program at CSCS, to produce materials for the Center and manage a social media presence for CSCS. The internship gives her the ability to practice what she learned in school with an issue that she cares about while relating it to an Anabaptist faith. This summer, Emily is looking forward to learning more about climate change, action, and sustainability, especially as they intersect with graphic design so that she can take the knowledge with her into future jobs. Emily is also excited to connect with vendors at Farmers Market and trying all the local coffee shops Harrisonburg has to offer.

The Center is grateful to have such wonderful interns to work with and is excited to see what they will do this summer!

Learn more about the Center’s Climate Advocacy Internship and Communications Internship on the Student Engagement page.

Article by Emily Griffioen

2019 Communications Intern