Environment America Interview

Trafton B.

December 5, 2010 - 8:50 PM

Life after college...yikes! It isn't hitting me quite yet, but it becomes more real with every passing week. Today was one of those days that I had to put school on hold for more pressing issues...like finding a job.

Environment America is a federation of state-based environmental advocacy organizations that works to protect our nation's clean air, water and open spaces. This afternoon my friend, Claire, and I drove up to Portland to interview for Environment America's two-year fellowship program. Hard to know how the interview went, and by that I mean I don't want to say anything that might jinx my changes, but I will say one thing. After four hours of interviews and group charrettes, I had a really fun time.

We started with group introductions that included an icebreaker questions, "If you could put anyone on a postage stamp, who would it be?" It certainly wasn't an easy question for me, and it didn't help that I had to respond first, but I ended up saying the first name that popped into my head, Willie Mays. He's a San Francisco Giants legend and a personal idol of mine because he's very involved with the San Francisco community. I know, I probably should have thought of something more scholarly, but I had to go with my gut on this one. The Giants just won the World Series. I can't help but think about baseball sometimes.

Next, we broke into groups to plan a mock press conference. My team brainstormed how we would introduce a ban on plastic bottles across all Oregon colleges, not too far from reality we hope. Then we heard about Brock's recent work with Environment Oregon and more about the fellowship program from Kristina, who is in the program with Environment Washington right now. After that I had two individual interviews with Merriah and Heather and a quick public speaking exercise before wrapping up the day with a question and answer session with Dan, Regional Director for the Pacific Northwest.

Sounds rather strenuous when I look back on it, but, like I said, it more enjoyable than it looks on paper. The staff was nice and the other candidates all seemed like cool people. It couldn't have been more than ten minutes before we were cracking jokes together. I could see myself fitting in with this crowd of people very easily.

Another thing I was very pleased to find out was that my experience with the Environmental Leadership Program prepared me incredibly well. Working in focus groups, public speaking, and brainstorming how to tackle environmental issues. It was all so familiar to me. I'm glad to know that all those hours of work last year are being put to good use. Thanks, ELP!

The last thing we were told today was that we should expect to hear back from them in two weeks, so for now I have my fingers crossed. One of the questions from my second interview was, "If we offered you a job, would you accept it?" To be honest, it caught me off guard. I stumbled on the answer saying something like, "Yes, but I need to figure out some nuts and bolts before I make any future plans." If I had the chance to answer it again, I would have responded with a resounding, "HECK YES!" As the afternoon went on and I heard more about the program, it felt more like something I want to be a part of.

So, if anyone from Environment America is reading out there, my answer is YES! Thanks for a fun afternoon, and I hope that I have the privilege to work with you in the future.