Meet the SSMC summer interns! We are excited to welcome Alyssa, Calista, Etaash, Kai and Lizzie, a group of high school and college interns helping SSMC achieve its mission of making San Mateo County more sustainable.
While they will be working on a variety of projects at SSMC throughout the summer, they have started by helping out with the Sustainability Ideas Bank, which lists sustainability solutions for businesses and cities that have been successfully implemented elsewhere. Learn more about each of the interns below.
Alyssa Horng
is a rising 11th grader at The Nueva School in San Mateo. She is interested in ecology and the social sciences, and she is excited to learn more about the factors that drive environmental policy. She wanted to work at SSMC because of its focus on not only the environment but also the intersection of sustainability and social equity.
Calista Triantis
, who will be a sophomore at Stanford University this fall, is majoring in Anthropology with a minor in Earth Systems, with the goal of supporting environmental and housing justice initiatives in the Bay Area and beyond. She's excited to learn from and take part in the ways SSMC connects cities and businesses with practical and equitable sustainability approaches, and she hopes to witness how change can be realized at these levels.
Etaash Patel
, who will be a 12th grader at The Nueva School this fall, says SSMC appealed to him because of his interests in economics, public policy and environmental action. He is looking forward to learning how novel ideas can be used to make a real difference in the world.
Kai Kato
, a rising junior at Stanford University, is studying Political Science with a minor in Computer Science. While his academic interests lie mainly in foreign relations and international cooperation, he is just as dedicated to the implementation of solution-oriented policies in local communities. Kai hopes to help SSMC make it easier for the county to transition to a more sustainable future.
Lizzie Avila
is a lifelong environmentalist and self-describe "granola" with a special passion for environmental justice in low-income communities. This fall she will be a sophomore at Stanford University, where she is majoring in Earth Systems and pursuing minors in both Biology and International Relations. Lizzie is excited to work with SSMC this summer because of its commitment to sustainability at the intersection of the environment, the economy and social equity.
