Career Pathways: One Student. Two Alumni. One Renewable Energy Company.

By the year 2030, it’s projected that the United States could add more than 1.6 million new jobs in the clean energy sector, according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. So how can Lewis & Clark students gain hands-on experience to prepare for these promising careers? Often through connections with L&C alumni who are already working in the green sector.

Lena Essak BA ’24 spent her summer as a paid community relations intern in the Portland office of EDP Renewables, an international company that constructs and operates wind farms and solar parks throughout North America. She worked alongside two L&C alumni, Project Developer Qwynci Bowman BA ’23 and Community Relations Manager Julia McPherson BA ’19.

Essak connected with EDP through the Bates Center Summer Sustainability Internship course, a joint venture of the Office of Sustainability and the Bates Center for Entrepreneurship and Leadership. The four-credit course includes an in-class component as well as an 8- to 12-week paid internship during the summer.

Amy Dvorak, senior director of sustainability, teaches the course and helps students connect with an established network of Portland-area green employers, many of whom already employ Lewis & Clark graduates.

“Partnering with employers that have L&C alumni on staff, such as EDP Renewables, creates avenues for mentorship, guidance, and potential job opportunities,” says Dvorak. “Students gain workplace insights and skills while building their career network.”

McPherson, Bowman, and Essak have clearly benefited from their shared Lewis & Clark connections. As a student, Bowman interned under McPherson and was offered a full-time job at the company after graduation. Then Essak connected with Bowman and followed in her footsteps to become an EDP Renewables intern.

By creating a seamless transition from the classroom to the professional world, Lewis & Clark’s sustainability internship course is helping prepare graduates for the environmental careers of both today and tomorrow.

Summer Sustainability Internship Class Sustainability Bates Center for Entrepreneurship and Leadership