{"id":31168,"date":"2019-07-22T14:15:57","date_gmt":"2019-07-22T18:15:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/college.unc.edu\/?p=31168"},"modified":"2024-07-02T17:12:05","modified_gmt":"2024-07-02T17:12:05","slug":"tar-heels-cassidy-harding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/collegearchive.unc.edu\/?p=31168","title":{"rendered":"Tar Heels in the Field: Cassidy Harding"},"content":{"rendered":"

Experiential learning is an important way for students to gain hands-on experience in their chosen fields. This summer, budding musicians, environmental researchers, public servants, journalists and more are jumping headfirst into internships and programs.<\/em><\/p>\n

Working with the Environmental Defense Fund this summer, Cassidy Harding is realizing her high school dream of becoming an environmental scientist.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Cassidy
Cassidy Harding is a resilient landscapes intern at the Environmental Defense Fund in Raleigh.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Cassidy Harding has known she wanted to be an environmental scientist since taking an AP class in high school.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to do something with my life that made a difference and tackle urgent issues,\u201d she said. \u201cWhat I learned in that class \u2014 and have continued to learn in college \u2014 is that this major is applicable to society today. If I can contribute to this career field, I can make an impact no matter how small.\u201d<\/p>\n

This summer, the Carolina senior is a resilient landscapes intern at the Environmental Defense Fund in Raleigh. In her role at the nonprofit, Harding is working on a new initiative that partners with North Carolina farmers to reduce flood risks near wetlands.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m working on a lot of [geographic information system] mapping work,\u201d said Harding, who is majoring in environmental science and minoring in geography. \u201cI\u2019ve been mapping Eastern North Carolina, locating wetlands and where those wetlands are adjacent to, or intersect with, farmlands. I\u2019ve been loving it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harding has also been finding ways to create a governance structure for collaboration between farmers and stakeholders.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m able to provide these tools for people to utilize in the future and really boost the productivity of this project,\u201d she said. \u201cEven though I can\u2019t say I saved a species or saved a wetland on my own, I can say that I helped move the ball forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the mapping aspect of the internship ties into Harding\u2019s classwork and past internships, the chance to work on policy provided a new opportunity for Harding, who has gained most of her professional experience doing fieldwork.<\/p>\n

It also provided another \u2014\u00a0less academic \u2014\u00a0experience: working in an office.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis position was very different,\u201d she said. \u201cI thought, I might as well do something I haven\u2019t done before instead of doing something fieldwork-heavy like I\u2019ve been doing in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n

The internship was funded by the UNC Institute for Environment\u2019s Pavel Molchanov Scholars program. In its inaugural year, the program matches undergraduate students with an environmental internship at partner organizations in North Carolina, South Carolina or Virginia, where students can supplement their academic work with experiential, professional training. Each Molchanov Scholar receives a $5,000 stipend to support their summer experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a student, I wasn\u2019t directly involved in environmental work, but I remember the importance of internships,\u201d said Molchanov, an expert in energy sector analysis who donated $1 million to the University in January to launch the program. \u201cInternships were a key element of how my career got started.\u201d<\/p>\n

Without the funding, Harding said she would have likely had to turn down the Environmental Defense Fund internship.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would not have had these wonderful experiences that I\u2019m having,\u201d she said. \u201cThe scholarship was what made me decide on this position.\u201d<\/p>\n

The experiences she had at the Environmental Defense Fund, she said, has confirmed her high school ambitions of becoming an environmental scientist \u2014 and helped hone the skills and develop the connections needed to make it a reality.<\/p>\n

\u201cThrough the conversations I\u2019ve had with people and seeing what work is being done is truly inspirational to see all the changes being made,\u201d she said. \u201cIt definitely solidifies that this is something that I want to pursue, and it\u2019s just as meaningful as I thought it would be.\u201d<\/p>\n

By Brandon Bieltz, University Communications<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Working with the Environmental Defense Fund this summer, Cassidy Harding is realizing her high school dream of becoming an environmental 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