Career Pathways: One Student. Two Alumni. One Renewable Energy Company. • Newsroom • Lewis & Clark
Source: https://www.lclark.edu/live/news/52815-career-pathways-one-student-two-alumni-one
Archived: 2026-04-23 17:15
Career Pathways: One Student. Two Alumni. One Renewable Energy Company. • Newsroom • Lewis & Clark
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Career Pathways: One Student. Two Alumni. One Renewable Energy Company.
Career Pathways: One Student. Two Alumni. One Renewable Energy Company.
Lena Essak BA ’24 spent her summer as a paid community relations intern in the Portland office of EDP Renewables. Thanks to the
Bates Center Summer Sustainability Internship course
, she was able to learn, grow, and gain hands-on experience while working alongside two supportive Lewis & Clark alumni.
January 25, 2024
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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.
If you care about sustainability, there will be many opportunities for you here! Lewis & Clark is a great place to learn about how your particular set of skills and interests can be used to make a difference.
Lena Essak BA ’24
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
More about Lena
L&C strives to be a responsible, accountable actor in terms of sustainability and overall impact. For an institution of this size, I’ve been really impressed with the commitments and innovative solutions pursued.
Julia McPherson BA ’19
Wilmington, North Carolina and Portland, Oregon
More about Julia
Sustainability prepares students for life after L&C because it forces us to think about the future implications of our actions and the communities they will affect.
Qwynci Bowman BA ’23
Austin, Texas
More about Qwynci
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
Office of Communications
Editorial Contact
Shelly Meyer
Media Contact
Lois Leveen
More Stories
Legal Leap
An Accelerated Path to Law School
Persistence is paying off for Danielle Pon BA ’24, JD ’27, who is currently attending Lewis & Clark Law School as part of the accelerated “3-3” BA/JD program.
Education Improvement
Ben Bowman Joins L&C as Senior Fellow
Bowman will work closely with Graduate School leadership and faculty and with partners across the state to scale the school’s impact and expand the use of data and research to improve outcomes in Oregon K-12 schools.
Faculty Award
Dr. Kosansky Receives Fulbright for Rabat Genizah Project
Associate Professor Oren Kosansky has received a prestigious Fulbright award for his project, “Digital Humanities Scholarship and Jewish Cultural Heritage in Contemporary Morocco”. Building on his extensive background in anthropology and Moroccan studies, this project bridges the gap between Middle East and North African (MENA) studies and Jewish studies.
Community Brew
Bringing Latinx Culture to Portland’s Coffee Scene
Carlos Sanchez Huizar BA ’18, MA ’20 has turned his love of coffee and his experience at Lewis & Clark into Kilo D’ Cofi, a Latinx-owned café and community space in downtown Portland.
Quick Links
Apply
Visit
Alumni
Athletics
Libraries
Giving
The Source
Newsroom
Home
/
Newsroom
/
Career Pathways: One Student. Two Alumni. One Renewable Energy Company.
Career Pathways: One Student. Two Alumni. One Renewable Energy Company.
Lena Essak BA ’24 spent her summer as a paid community relations intern in the Portland office of EDP Renewables. Thanks to the
Bates Center Summer Sustainability Internship course
, she was able to learn, grow, and gain hands-on experience while working alongside two supportive Lewis & Clark alumni.
January 25, 2024
SHARE
Copy Link
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.
If you care about sustainability, there will be many opportunities for you here! Lewis & Clark is a great place to learn about how your particular set of skills and interests can be used to make a difference.
Lena Essak BA ’24
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
More about Lena
L&C strives to be a responsible, accountable actor in terms of sustainability and overall impact. For an institution of this size, I’ve been really impressed with the commitments and innovative solutions pursued.
Julia McPherson BA ’19
Wilmington, North Carolina and Portland, Oregon
More about Julia
Sustainability prepares students for life after L&C because it forces us to think about the future implications of our actions and the communities they will affect.
Qwynci Bowman BA ’23
Austin, Texas
More about Qwynci
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
Office of Communications
Editorial Contact
Shelly Meyer
Media Contact
Lois Leveen
More Stories
Legal Leap
An Accelerated Path to Law School
Persistence is paying off for Danielle Pon BA ’24, JD ’27, who is currently attending Lewis & Clark Law School as part of the accelerated “3-3” BA/JD program.
Education Improvement
Ben Bowman Joins L&C as Senior Fellow
Bowman will work closely with Graduate School leadership and faculty and with partners across the state to scale the school’s impact and expand the use of data and research to improve outcomes in Oregon K-12 schools.
Faculty Award
Dr. Kosansky Receives Fulbright for Rabat Genizah Project
Associate Professor Oren Kosansky has received a prestigious Fulbright award for his project, “Digital Humanities Scholarship and Jewish Cultural Heritage in Contemporary Morocco”. Building on his extensive background in anthropology and Moroccan studies, this project bridges the gap between Middle East and North African (MENA) studies and Jewish studies.
Community Brew
Bringing Latinx Culture to Portland’s Coffee Scene
Carlos Sanchez Huizar BA ’18, MA ’20 has turned his love of coffee and his experience at Lewis & Clark into Kilo D’ Cofi, a Latinx-owned café and community space in downtown Portland.