Interviewing in a village that recently installed a microgrid
As the recruitment process for next year’s cohort of fellows ramps up, prospective applicants approach me fairly frequently asking about my thoughts on the fellowship. Everyone wants to know if it’s worth it, and if they should give up a paid summer internship for the experience. I understand their dilemma, because a year ago I was there, too, and I wasn’t sure about it either.
In these conversations I lay out rational reasons why it is a good idea to apply for the fellowship: “You’ll get research experience not many undergrads can get,” “You’ll have great professional development opportunities,” “You’ll learn about social entrepreneurship and make a tangible difference helping one scale.” These are all the reasons I chose to do the fellowship, and the reasons I find it so valuable to my professional and educational future, but there is so much more to it that I’m not even sure I can articulate.
Carson interviewing the leader of a farmer’s group
At the end of every conversation I find myself saying, “Honestly, applying for this fellowship was the best decision I made in college. I can’t imagine where I’d be without it.” I realize this statement probably doesn’t mean much to a junior weighing the pros and cons of spending a summer in a developing country and essentially taking on the workload of another minor over halfway through college, but there is no other way to get across just how much this experience has meant to me.
Often, it seems like it takes about a year to fully understand what an experience like this means for me. I felt this with Global Fellows; now, a year and a half out, I can clearly explain my lessons learned and growth during that experience, but it took an entire year to get here. I’m sure it will be the same with GSBF, where I continue to find new meaning from it as I move forward, but there are already so many learnings I can point to even just five days after the official “end” of the fellowship.
Filming some baby goats before heading to our next location
I’ve learned how important it is to have mentors who are truly committed to helping you succeed and willing to push you to excellence; I can’t thank Keith and Thane enough for putting so much faith in us this year. I’ve learned so much about my strengths and weaknesses, and how to use those to work effectively in a team setting. I’ve learned more than I probably ever needed to know about what it is like to live and work with two boys for two months. About halfway through our time there we realized we’d never spent as many consecutive days with the same people since we were babies with our moms…think about that. I’ve learned that I really enjoy being in a consultant role; identifying opportunities, coming up with a plan, and executing a project. And most importantly, I’ve learned that no matter what happens, there will always be people working their asses off to make sure the world moves forward, not back.
A women’s joint liability group during their weekly meeting
Moving forward in my own life, I will continue to carry the learnings from this fellowship forward with me into my career and personal life. It is looking like next year I will be working as a consulting analyst, which I am almost positive would not have occurred to me as a possibility a year ago today. I’m excited to apply what I’ve learned from working with ONergy and the Miller Center to this work, and learn new skills along the way. This experience solidified for me that I like fast-paced work with tangible goals, where I’m working for a cause I care about.
Nate films a village entrepreneur clean his solar panels
Throughout my life, I will continue to find ways to engage with social entrepreneurship, and pursue opportunities for future research or work in the area of sustainable off-grid development. Right now it is difficult for me to discern which is more important to me; the adoption of renewable energy technologies in the US or in off-grid communities around the world. However, I feel well-equipped to work towards either, or both, of these goals given the experience and skills I have gained from this fellowship and my studies. I have no doubt that I will find ways to engage with both off-grid development and “greening the grid” during my career, and I am excited to find out how.
ONergy solar panels on the roof of a high-rise apartment building in Kolkata