Staff and Interns

Sofia Santos '24 (she/her) - Food Sustainability • I am eager to evaluate how our college can take steps to invest in more sustainable food practices while collaborating with different partners, such as the dining staff. In California, where I am from, I have witnessed immigrant field workers’ rights and living wage compromised for food production. I hope to examine the individual steps in the food process from a social and sustainable lens.

Mico Mendoza '24 (he/him) - Food Sustainability • I am most excited about the people! Examining and understanding the intersectionality of food sustainability begin with the multiplicity of lived experiences, of ideas and inspirations, and of the viewpoints of the people who are involved. The conversations, the collaborations, the stories to be told and heard — those are what I’m most excited about.

Rika Nakato '24 (she/her) - Zero Waste • I'm excited to learn more about how zero waste plays a role in the greater picture of sustainability on campus (especially with COVID-specific challenges). I'm also eager to work to help implement systemic changes to reduce waste!

Lauren Lynch '23 (she/her) - Zero Waste • I am most excited to work through the second stage of the campus-wide Zero Waste assessment I worked on last year, which means getting to implement the recommendations we made. It will be really impactful to be able to make meaningful structural changes.

Theo Detweiler '24 (he/him) - Gardening and Landscapes • I am excited to care for the perennial gardens. I hope to support local wildlife, grow food, and keep carbon in the ground by building soil. I want to set the example that we can each fight climate change in our own backyards!

Rosa Kirk-Davidoff '21 (she/her) Gardening and Landscapes • I'm really excited to work in the gardens and help the land around the Zilkha Center be productive. I'm also interested in working to get Williams' campus landscaping to be more sustainable, with more native species and habitat for pollinators.

Tali Natter '23 (she/her) - Communications • I am excited to start managing the various Zilkha Center platforms to keep all Williams students informed and connected about the importance of sustainability and the ongoing efforts and events at Williams. I look forward to compiling these updates and initiatives into accessible and interesting formats and getting more students, departments, and centers involved!

Alisha Naidu '24 (she/her) - Communications • I'm so excited to get the word out about sustainability initiatives the Zilkha Center is taking on!

Molly Lohss '21 (she/her) - STARS/Assessment • I am most excited about synthesizing information from a variety of sustainability reports into a more digestible format. The information will be relayed to high ranking williams members- maybe even President Maud

Jaya Alagar ’22 (she/her) - Sustainable Buildings • I'm fascinated by the intersection of sustainability and the built environment. Increasing awareness of chemical hazards, especially to vulnerable communities, is really rewarding.

Haley Jefferson ’23 (she/her) - Historical Emissions • It has been fascinating to learn more about Williams as an institution and about its history through a specific lens that is of interest to me. Being able to work on a project that deals with pressing societal issues is incredibly fulfilling and keeps me motivated as I progress through the internship.

Katie Jung ’24 (she/her) - Composting • The conceptual idea of composting is rather straightforward. We reallocate a large fraction of waste — food waste — in order to create something new and useful. We turn waste into treasure through simple organization, and this treasure is nothing short of precious. This fascinates me; a rudimentary change can so naturally lead to big results. My internship allows me to actualize this type of change, and to explore first-hand this concept that I find so fascinating.

Andrew Hallward-Driemeier ’21 (he/him) - Historical Emissions • Digging through past treasurer's reports is fascinating because you get a sense of what people thought was important enough to mention in the blurb at the beginning or to list as a separate budgetary category.

Kristen Chou '23 (she/her) - Communications/Artist in Residence • As a communications intern this summer I'll be helping the Zilkha Center update their web presence, optimizing the structure of content into an accessible format. I'll also be working with the Communications Department to develop this web presence as well as identifying opportunities to engage with a wider audience. Additionally, as an Artist in Residence, I'll be creating art interpreting sustainability and social justice themes while participating in collaborative projects and activities with other interns! • I'm excited to improve my skills in website design while pursing my love of art and learning more about sustainability!

Kenia Cruz Guardado '22 (she/her) - Digital Humanities • As the Digital Humanities intern this summer, my goal is to help the Zilkha Center condense its vast research into a digital timeline that allows others to see the work produced by ZC as well as its journey to make that work happen. This includes working ZC history and choosing artifacts that will make up a timeline to put on the DC website. I also hope to help create a sustainability layer for the College's virtual map which will allow visitors to understand more of the sustainability work the College and the ZC do. • I am excited to meet such interesting people and interesting artifacts that will allow me to piece together the history of the ZC and show how awesome it is to others!

Simon Kissam (he/him) '23 - Zero Waste Intern • As a zero waste intern this summer I will be working to help the college move towards eliminating waste on campus. With my fellow zero waste intern, I will focus on composting on campus, standardizing waste bins, ensuring environmental and social justice considerations are integrated into college purchasing proposals, and other projects. • I am most excited to help make Williams College a more sustainable and environmentally conscious institution that I can feel proud of.

Jacob Chen (he/him or they/them) '23.5 - Zero Waste Intern • My efforts will be focused towards reducing waste on campus and finding ways to fulfill the college's sustainability strategic plan. I will work on composting, standardizing waste bins across campus, streamlining purchases made by the college, and cataloging campus needs regarding storage. • I'm most excited to create engaging and informational content that will empower my peers to protect the environment for a brighter future!

Carolyn Jordan (they/them) '23 - Garden Simulation Game Developer • This summer I'm going to be creating a video game that's focused on educating players about how to garden sustainably and successfully. It'll be similar to other farming simulation games that are out there, but this one is going to be implementing real-life techniques and 'rules' on how to garden in the Berkshires, so that people can take what they've learned while playing and put it into practice. • I'm really excited to see how I can customize this game to be the most enjoyable for players. This will also be the first full-length project like this that I'm undertaking, so I'm looking forward to seeing how I can build off of other games in the genre to create something useful, educational and fun!

Lemmy Evans (they/them) '23 - Artist-In-Residence • The role of the Artist-In-Residence is to explore the ideas and issues surrounding sustainability and conservation through artistic mediums. Alongside the other Artist-In-Residence, I will not only be creating my own body of work but also developing smaller artistic projects with other interns throughout the summer. • I am excited for the freedom of the project that the Artist-In-Residence postion has. It is a rare opportunity for artists and I intend to take full advantage. But I also can't wait to see how my artistic perspective is shaped and challenged by the program and my fellow interns.

Zeb Hart (he/him) '23 - Food Sustainability • Through this internship I will be helping Williams and its students become more sustainable by examing food on campus. I will do this by taking note of the college's current needs and practices while also addressing them. Additionally, I will also be educating students about the power of food and how to make sustainable choices at the dining halls and in their everyday lives. • I am looking forward to working with my fellow interns and the college towards a joint goal of sustainability.

Mariana Garcia (she/her) '24 - Garden Intern • As the garden intern, I will be managing and upkeeping the gardens on campus for the summer. This role will alow me to implement my own small infrastructural projects in the different gardens on campus while also teaching other Zilkha interns and students how to take care of produce and the managing of plants. • I'm most excited to expand my knowledge on gardening and share it with others. I also can't wait to create individual projects and get creative with how I manage and expand the gardens!