And the U360 Capstone winner is…

Barbara McMillan, Chair, Dorr Foundation and Manomet Trustee, announced this year’s winners. “The students’ presentations and session with the judges was flawless. Watching all three students respond to the judge’s questions gave huge insights into how much work the students did and how they totally ‘got it.’ I am so impressed with this class of U360 students and how they put themselves out there while facing so much else in the world.”

Lily’s Sustainability Action Plan was on: “An electric utility in the Northeast.” According to Lily, “the U360 Action Plan is a very unique project. It is uncommon for a student’s college experience to include a project where they are working on developing an actionable plan for a business, yet many jobs in the real world require this type of thinking and planning. It was a very valuable experience for me to take what I knew about this business, conduct additional research, and develop a set of real, feasible recommendations from that.”

Alex, who presented on a commercial real estate company in the Midwest, adds, “the biggest takeaway from the Capstone experience was taking the culmination of everything I’ve learned about sustainability over the past year and translating it into my own body of original work to share with others. During the preparation for the Capstone, I learned to become more confident in myself and my professional presentation skills. I am glad that both my confidence and professionalism showed through during my presentation.”

Desiree’s Sustainability Action Plan focused on a landscaping company in the Southeast. For Desiree, “my biggest takeaway from the Capstone experience was the number of people that are around to support you when you are a part of this internship. From Lora, to my teammates and Alum mentor Autumn, to the Manomet staff, everyone is so supportive and wants you to excel!”

Planning for the 2021-22 school year is well underway! If you are a college student (or if you know one!) interested in creating a more resilient world, click here for more information about applying to be a part of the 2021-22 U360 class.

Q&A with the 2021 U360 Capstone Competitors

What are your future plans?

Lily: I will be moving out to the greater Boston area and will begin a full-time job with National Grid as part of their Graduate Development Program in late June. My position is on a team working to bring National Grid to the forefront of the future of energy in the age of climate change, so I am especially excited to work on that!

Alex: As I am now a recent graduate of Kean University, my future plans involve applying for marketing jobs, particularly within the areas of product marketing, market research, and marketing strategy. I also plan to continue incorporating sustainable practices into my daily life and career.

Desiree: I am currently going into my senior year at SUNY Maritime, where I will start taking master’s classes and eventually receive a Master’s degree in International Transportation Management. My long-term goal is to work for the FBI in sex trafficking.

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

Lily: There are so many people who are integral to my success in this internship. Of course, Lora [Babb, U360 Director] was outstanding and her support and dedication to U360 is never-ending. She truly gives her all to each of her students. My fellow U360 interns, especially those of us on Team 2, were amazing to work with and lean on. And finally, of course, I wouldn’t be here without my parents or my roommates – U360 is not an easy program, and they were a constant source of support when things got tough.

Alex: I would love to give a huge thank you to my U360 Director, Lora Babb, for guiding me through my entire U360 internship experience and for giving me the knowledge and tools to succeed along with our Alumni Assistants Emma Chen and Cole Hillis. I cannot forget about my teammates, Zoe Murphy, Kali Gibbons, Lillian Kuhn, Emily Sandler, and Devin Harris, for being a positive support system within the program over the past year. Lastly, but most importantly, I would like to thank my parents for their encouragement and support over the past 21 years to get me to where I am today.

Desiree: I’d like to thank my family for their continuous support when I needed it, along with Lora and my teammate Lily Brown. Without them, I would’ve struggled immensely, especially in these tough times, but they made it worth it!