Major: Environmental and Sustainability Studies
Minors: Political Science, Environmental Education, Public Policy Analysis Certificate
Hometown: Bennington, Nebraska
Megan, a junior at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, loves TV, films, and music. On the weekends when she’s not performing with the Cornhusker Marching Band, you can often find her at a concert or watching a new movie.
When applying to university, she considered a degree in secondary English education. However, three months before her first year, Megan felt called to major in Environmental and Sustainability Studies. She would later add minors in environmental education and political science, as well as a Public Policy Analysis Certificate.
In spring 2025, she began an experiential learning internship. “I chose my internship as a Sustainability Intern with the Office of Sustainability because the description sounded like the exact job [description] that I gave whenever someone would ask me, ‘What do you want to do with your major in the future?’” Megan said. “I also chose it because I saw what UNL is doing and continues to do to improve sustainability on campus, and I wanted to be a part of that.”
Her duties included reviewing sustainability initiatives at other institutions, writing proposals for future Office of Sustainability initiatives, and helping with data collection and analysis for UNL’s STARS report, compiled every three years.
“STARS stands for the ‘Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System,’ and it describes itself as a ‘transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance.’ Essentially, I tracked, analyzed, and reported data to be added to the report. I also assisted in some communications and outreach events,” Megan said
Another early project was to create a course inventory of sustainable classes offered at UNL. This task was impactful because it brought a new perspective.
“When I came into the internship, I really wasn’t all that interested in data analysis. My skills lie more in the humanitarian and social side of problem solving, not really in data,” Megan said. “However, my first big project involved pretty extensive data analysis and a complete overhaul of everything I knew about Microsoft Excel. Ever since that first project, I’ve been excited to dig deeper into data analysis!”
Megan is continuing her internship in 2026 and working on final revisions for the STARS report. She is also busy with two other initiatives: curating an annual Recycling Report that tracks UNL’s total waste and all reused and recycled items, and a Greenhouse Gas Inventory that assesses UNL's greenhouse gas emissions over a year.
“Both of these inventories are important to keep up-to-date yearly, not only for the sake of keeping track of how sustainable we're being, but also it makes it easier when curating the next STARS report,” Megan said.
“I also have had an amazing opportunity to start my own group called the Big Ten and Friends Student Sustainability Network,” Megan said. “It is a group of 45 students from across 14 schools that meet a few times a semester to discuss the sustainable things that they are doing on campus, as well as grow with different professional development opportunities!
Megan is grateful for the people she works with and the skills and knowledge she has gained. She sees each step of her experiential learning journey as informative for her future career.
“I would love to pursue a graduate degree. ... Working in higher education already gets me into contact with people who have either already pursued a postgraduate degree or are currently pursuing one. Getting to hear their experience and what path they took to get to their current position has been really eye opening.”
Whatever path Megan pursues after graduation, she knows it will involve her passion for sustainability and her commitment to caring for the environment.
“I am dedicated to applying my knowledge of environmental studies to real-world challenges and working collaboratively to create solutions that promote balance and the proper stewardship of our resources,” Megan said.
