The Administrative Center for Sustainability and Energy Management welcomes four new interns for the spring semester. Read on to learn a little bit more about them!
Emma Foster is a freshman architecture major from Duncan College. She is passionate about how sustainability can be integrated into social, political, and built structures, and is excited to bring her research and writing skills to the ACSEM staff. She also hopes to learn more about how to apply these skills to environmental advocacy. When she isn’t in Anderson Hall, Emma is volunteering at the Rice Women’s Resource Center, going to concerts and art shows, or curled up with tea and a good book. Her spirit vegetable would probably be kale because she finds it everywhere in her hometown of Austin, Texas.
A proud Kansas City Royals fan from Kansas City, Kansas, Jennifer Fu is a freshman from Duncan College. She’s currently majoring in English and anthropology. Additionally, she is also very interested in exploring the field of environmental sustainability. Outside of academics, Jennifer also works at Coffeehouse and as an illustrator at the Rice Thresher. She enjoys painting, reading, dancing, and walking under Rice’s twisting oak trees. Her spirit fruit would most certainly have to be lychees. She’s excited to work at ACSEM and hopes to learn more about how Rice can improve its sustainability initiatives.
Originally from Memphis, Tennessee, Niki Parekh is a sophomore at Brown College, majoring in economics and managerial studies and minoring in business. She has a strong passion for journalism and is excited to bring her skills to the sustainability office. Niki currently writes for the Campanile Yearbook as a Brown editor and is interested in exploring different topics that also affect Rice’s campus, such as sustainability. If she could have any superpower, it would be to control the elements, particularly fire or water. Her spirit vegetable is corn because it is often roasted, as is she. She hopes to be a positive influence and encourage others to be eco-friendly.
Currently a freshman chemical engineering student at Duncan College, Katherine Zoellmer came to Rice from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Sustainability has always been part of her life, and she plans to pursue a career in renewable energy. She looks forward to learning and growing from the other staff members and their experiences. In addition to working with ACSEM, Katherine is involved in Texans for Climate Change Action as well as Engineers Without Borders. Her free time revolves around touring the nearby museums, Hermann Park, and a variety of coffee shops in Rice Village. As far as “stupid human tricks” go, she’s full of them, but her favorite to share — and scare people with — are her double-jointed fingers.