Congratulations to this year’s winner of Manomet’s “Next Generation” Award and scholarship: Lily Brown, an Environmental Science major who just graduated from University of Vermont! A big round of applause also goes out to Desiree Dator of SUNY Maritime College (1st runner-up) and Alex Savage of Kean University (2nd runner-up). We had a truly exceptional class of students this year in Manomet’s U360 and we are so proud of all they accomplished!
Lily Brown, U360 2021 Capstone Winner
Lily, Alex, and Desiree competed for the “Next Generation” Award at our annual U360 Capstone Competition on May 25, 2021. The Capstone is the culmination of Manomet’s U360 Business Sustainability Internship, an experiential educational program for college students. By giving the next generation practical sustainability knowledge coupled with professional and interpersonal skills, Manomet’s U360 program helps these individuals gain agency over their futures and become active and effective change-makers.
“Alex and Desiree both had extremely strong presentations, so I thought the winner could be any of the three of us,” says Lily. “I just wanted to do the best I could on my Action Plan and get as much as possible out of the experience. Of course, however, it is really nice to see that all the hard work I put into this project paid off!”
At the Capstone, the students presented the Sustainability Action Plans they created for one small business composed of highly-researched, customized, and practical recommendations for improving its overall sustainability. A panel of judges asked the students questions to defend their action plans and then selected the winner. We want to thank all of our judges throughout the entire competition, especially our Capstone judges: Scot Case, National Retail Federation; Victoria Marino, Hudson County Community College; and Katherine Berry, Manomet’s 2020 Next Generation Scholar.
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 Savage
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!