Sustainability Pathway’s 2023 cohort has completed their 11 week program!

Last week we heard from students about their incredible work in Western Washington University’s Sustainability Pathways Fellowship program. Words cannot describe how powerful this program has been for our community, and how important it is for the growth and education of this new generation of young professionals.

This summer, 18 students worked with organizations, agencies, towns, health clinics, the school district, the library, farms, and businesses to develop professional skills while putting theory into practice. The cohort was intentionally interdisciplinary, spanning dimensions of sustainability that included planning students bring capacity to the town planning offices in Winthrop, Twisp, and Okanogan; public health students with the Foundation for Youth Resiliency and Engagement and supporting projects with Family Health Centers; environmental science students with Home Range Wildlife Research, Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the Methow Beaver Project; and environmental studies and policy students working in circular economy and zero waste with Methow Recycles and TwispWorks (among many others).

Over the eleven-week program, with leadership by the truly wonderful Joshua Porter, students developed a tight-knit community as a cohort and experienced place-based learning in the Methow Valley with the support of mentors, partner organizations, and our regional networks with Career Connect WA and the WA Campus Coalition for the Public Good.

We could not be more proud of the passionate work these folks have put into their respective projects, and we look forward to hearing more about their journeys in the future!