Environmental Science and Environmental Studies majors graduate with a wide variety of opportunities before them.
Graduates who enter the professional arena have taken jobs in waste management, ecological restoration, nature conservancy, policy, planning, law, and for organizations that include environmental NGOs, the US Environmental Protection Agency, US Department of Agriculture, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and The Bureau of Land Management.
Find your own career and internship opportunities at the Weingart Center for Career and Professional Development.
Stephanie Alcala ’15
Sustainability Supervisor at Coffee Manufactury
Stephanie is interested in how our daily choices can lead to a healthier environment. She’s worked with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to study how bats intersect with pest control and pollination, as their species face drastic population decline. She’s also studying the molecular ecology of coffee and how coffee forests create sustainable ecosystems and help mitigate climate change.
And it all started with an environmental science elective at Whittier with Professor Cinzia Fissore. Stephanie was captivated immediately.
In the College’s intimate setting, Stephanie forged meaningful relationships with her professors that extended beyond the classroom. The immersion and accountability she found in Whittier’s small class sizes also prepared her for graduate school, where she obtained a master’s degree in ecology and evolutionary biology frontiers. This past summer, she was awarded the Specialty Coffee Association’s 2018 Re:co Symposium Fellowship and is the first-ever recipient of its Leadership Equality and Diversity Scholarship.
Now, she's sustainability supervisor at Coffee Manufactory, a new sustainable coffee roasting company that is part of the San Francisco-based Tartine Group.
“Whittier College provided me with a supportive network. I would not be where I am today without them.”
Mohamed Faal ’14
Environmental Planner at Circlepoint
When the California High Speed Rail connects San Francisco to the Los Angeles area, you’ll have Mohamed in part to thank. The environmental planner at Circlepoint works on land use and development projects throughout California, a career that Whittier College equipped him for.
Whittier offered the environmental studies major a diverse range of courses, from fundamental sciences to thought-provoking environmental philosophy, which made his entire learning process fun and invigorating. Along the way, he gained the analytical tools he would need for his career, such as approaching controversial ideas from new and different perspectives.
After Whittier, Mohamed earned a master’s degree in Global Energy and Climate Policy at the University of London.
“I am confident that my experiences at Whittier College have provided me with lifelong values and skills that will assist me in creating a positive impact in the world.”
Alison Jackman ’15
Associate Program Coordinator at Eversource Energy
Alison has always felt a deep sense of environmental justice. She jokes that when she was young, she thought litter on Main Street was an international injustice. Whittier gave her a wide variety of opportunities to explore her passion, from classes to research to an internship at the Center for EcoTechnology.
The experiences also equipped her with invaluable skills like collaboration and communication, which she’s found are an everyday necessity in the professional world. Now, she brings all of her knowledge, skill sets, and passion back to her home state of Connecticut, where she works on a community energy efficiency program for the entire state.
“I got to study environmental science in a very holistic way, which I think is different from a lot of other schools.”
