Meet the Interns

2022 Cohort

"West" Summer Interns 
 

Ariella Chichilnisky du Lac
Project Development Intern, Blue Forest Conservation

Ariella Chichilnisky du Lac is a rising senior at Stanford majoring in Symbolic Systems and minoring in Earth Systems. She is passionate about conservation and sustainability, and interested in using multi-disciplinary, systems-based approaches to tackle these problems. An avid lover of amphibians, Ariella has five pet frogs and is working in a conservation biology lab, conducting a research project on frog ecosystem services. In her free time, she likes to go rock climbing, thrift shopping, and try new (vegetarian) foods.

Kiara Fufunan
Intern, Natural History Institute

Kiara Fufunan is a rising sophomore at Stanford pursuing a BS in Earth Systems with a Biosphere pathway. From digitizing archival records at the Field Museum to volunteering in community gardens, she has worked closely with organizations based in her hometown Chicago to develop a passion for nature and ecology. She is currently exploring the field of science communication as an intern at the Stanford Natural Capital Project. When she is not in the field or keeping up with the latest science publications, she can be found on stage with Stanford’s Filipino dance troupe, Kayumanggi. She is excited to work with the Natural History Institute in developing public engagement programs for their expansive herbarium collections. She hopes that working at NHI will give her an exciting change of scenery and strengthen her love for community science.

Theodore Gress
Resilient Landscapes Program Intern, San Francisco Estuary Institute

Theo Gress is a coterminal master’s student in biology and majored in biology. He studies ecology and evolution and enjoys thinking about how these fields can be applied to conservation. In addition, he developed a passion for science communication and education volunteering at the Sacramento Zoo. In his free time, he likes to hike, kayak, and play board games. He is excited to work with the restoration ecology team at San Francisco Estuary institute.

Sydney Guthrie
California River and Water Policy Intern, American Rivers

Sydney Guthrie is rising senior at Stanford majoring in International Relations with focuses in Environment, Energy, and Natural Resources and Social Development and Human Well-Being. She grew up in rural Southeast Alaska which facilitated a lifelong love of the outdoors. Sydney is an avid enjoyer of the arts in all its forms. Post-Stanford she plans to work with Indigenous tribes to help protect their environmental rights and ability to continue to practice their traditional ways of living.  She hopes that working with American Rivers over this coming summer will allow her to better understand how environmental work is enacted in practice outside the classroom.

Ahmad Koya-Oyefuwa
Skyline Forest Conservation Intern, Deschutes Land Trust

Ahmad Koya is a rising junior at Stanford majoring in Environmental Engineering. Some fun facts about him: vegetarian of 12 years, member of the Stanford Improvisors, was in Gaieties 2020, and lived in Nigeria for a few years. As a loquacious and gregarious person, Ahmad frequently spends his free time socializing with everybody around him. When people ask Ahmad what he’s studying, he always says, “I’m going to save the world!” Because of this mindset, he joined the Deschutes Land Trust to reach one step closer to that goal. Environmental engineering and policy are interconnected; therefore, Ahmad hopes to become a more well-rounded engineer through his policy-focused internship!

Crystal Liu
Planning and Policy Intern, US Army Corps of Engineers

Crystal Liu is a coterminal masters student at Stanford studying Computer Science with an undergraduate degree in Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity.

Malia Maxwell
Marketing and Development Intern, Heyday Books

Malia Maxwell is a rising senior at Stanford, majoring in English with an emphasis in Creative Writing (Poetry Track). Outside of class, she is involved with the Leland Quarterly and Stanford Camp Kesem. She has a love for all things book-related—especially the bench of free books in Margaret Jacks. This summer, she will be following that passion, working as Marketing and Development Intern at Heyday. She hopes to learn more about indie publishing and is excited to work on projects for a diverse range of books.

Katherine Nolan
Conservation Outreach Intern, Santa Lucia Conservancy

Katherine Nolan is a rising senior majoring in art history and minoring in German studies. She is from Salt Lake City, Utah and has spent much of her life exploring the vast beauty of the American West. She is concentrating on the art history of the American West, with a particular focus on human relationships to land and intends to coterm in environmental communication. She is a passionate writer, reader and hiker. She is excited for her position as a communications intern for the Santa Lucia Conservancy and the opportunity it will give her to explore the natural history of the California central coast.

Chloe Romero
Intern, Henry's Fork Foundation

Chloe Romero is a rising sophomore planning to major in Earth Systems or Energy Resources Engineering. She is passionate about making institutional changes that facilitate living a sustainable life, which is key towards securing an equitable future and mitigating climate change. Outside of college, Chloe enjoys going on walks, listening to music and going to the beach. At the Henry’s Fork Foundation, Chloe hopes to learn about community-led efforts to manage and share natural resources, while engaging in scientific research and conservation.

Eleanor Schroeder
Elections Intern, National Conference of State Legislatures

Eleanor Schroeder is a senior at Stanford studying Political Science and History. She is from a small town on the border of Texas and Arkansas called Texarkana, which cultivated her interest in polarization and civil rights. Eleanor has an identical twin sister who also attends Stanford. She is the founding president of Stanford American Civil Liberties Union. During her senior year, she wrote a senior thesis for the Political Science Honors Research Program regarding voting rights. She analyzed 2020 data from an Election Protection Hotline to understand which communities experience the heaviest burden in casting their ballots. As the Elections Intern for the National Conference of State Legislatures, Eleanor is excited to spend the summer tracking ballot measures and researching the election process. After her summer internship, she plans to study abroad in Florence and apply to law school.

Stephanie Unur
Internet and Social Media Assistant, Hawaii Dept. of Land and Natural Resources

Stephanie Unur is a rising junior at Stanford majoring in Earth Systems and International Relations. She is interested in the intersection of sustainable development, renewable energy, and environmental equity. When she’s not working at the Law School, she can be found working outside, driving down the PCH, and thrifting. Her enthusiasm for environmental protection led
her to work with the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources this summer, where she’s excited to learn more about the Islands, its people, and how to effectively further conservation efforts.

Jasmine Wheeler
Museum Intern, Yellowstone National Park Heritage and Research Center

Jas Wheeler is a rising sophomore at Stanford majoring in American Studies, and considering minors in Earth Systems or Theater and Archaeology. Her focus of study is on American history, examining the relationship between historical art, popular culture, and resulting cultural norms. Outside of the classroom, she loves costume designing with the Stanford Shakespeare Company and writing historical/speculative fiction television shows. She is thrilled to work with the Yellowstone Heritage and Research Center, combining her love of history and
archaeological knowledge to design an exhibit and provide tours to researchers and visitors.

Shultz Energy Fellows 

Named in honor of former Secretary of State George P. Shultz, one of the most widely admired American public servants of the past half-century, the program offers a suite of paid, energy-related public service fellowships for Stanford students in California, Colorado, Utah, and Hawaii during the summer. We co-administer this program with the Precourt Institute for Energy, the Haas Center for Public Service, and Stanford in Government.

Justin Bracci
California Air Resources Board

Justin is a PhD student in Energy Resources Engineering (ERE) at the Stanford School of Earth, Energy and Environmental Sciences. Justin’s PhD research is focused on decarbonization of energy systems using clean hydrogen technologies. He is especially interested in transportation sector decarbonization pathways and how clean hydrogen can be utilized in a low-cost manner. Justin holds his MS in Energy Resources Engineering from Stanford University, and a BS in Environmental Engineering from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Justin is excited to work at the California Air Resources Board as a Shultz Fellow in the Summer of 2022. He will be analyzing the role fuel prices play in consumer choice of a zero-emission vehicle.

Allison Chow
Office of Commissioner Darcie L. Houck at the California Public Utilities Commission

Alison (she/her) is a first year master’s student in Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) at Stanford University. She is in the Atmosphere/Energy program, where she studies energy systems at the intersection of climate and equity. At Stanford, Allison interns for the CEE Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) committee and volunteers with student groups such as Students for Affordability and Engineering Students for DEI. She also collaborates with Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition alongside a Stanford research team evaluating labor practices in the solar photovoltaics sector. This summer, Allison will intern with Commissioner Darcie L. Houck at the California Public Utilities Commission, where she will assist on the Tribal Land Transfer Policy and other policies addressing tribal consultation and utility rate affordability.

Akruti Gupta
California Energy Commission, Office of Vice Chair Siva Gunda

Akruti (she/her) is a master's student in the Atmosphere/Energy program in the Civil and Environmental Engineering department. She holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from UCLA. After working for several years as an engineer at an additive manufacturing company and volunteering for environmental non-profit groups, Akruti decided to pivot professionally into the energy industry. At Stanford, she is now focused on deepening her understanding of the link between social justice and environmental justice in the current energy landscape, honing her technical skills, and learning about the importance of policy in driving an equitable transition to a decarbonized energy system. Akruti is excited to spend this summer at the California Energy Commission, Office of Vice Chair Siva Gunda working at the energy-equity nexus.

Jack Kessler 
Western Electricity Coordinating Council

Jack is a first year MS student in the Sustainable Design and Construction program, which resides within the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department. Jack’s coursework mainly focuses on the planning, design, construction, and operation of an energy efficient and renewably powered built environment. Prior to Stanford, Jack worked at Jones Lang LaSalle in New York for three years, where he provided energy and sustainability consulting services to a diverse institutional client base. Projects included LEED certification services, New York City Local Law 97 forecasting and compliance, tenant energy audits, and many others. Jack received his B.S. in Mathematics from Boston College in 2018. He is excited to work as a Shultz Fellow at the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) this summer. He will operate within the Program Analysis and Administration team, where he will develop methods to identify and track patterns in common root causes, operational issues, and defective internal controls contributing to reliability and security risks in the Western Interconnection.

David Lee
California Air Resources Board

David is a second-year undergraduate pursuing a BS in Environmental Systems Engineering, a minor in Computer Science, and a minor in Psychology. His interests are in sustainable design, proper climate change communication, and renewable energy efforts. Since being at Stanford, he has done AI research related to environmental policy regulation, which has furthered his appeal toward exploring climate/energy solutions that meet at the intersection of technology and public policy. Eventually, he anticipates to enter the environmental law field, in which he plans to progress how regulation affects underserved, overlooked communities like the border-town of McAllen, TX that he calls home. He is super excited to spend the summer working with the California Air Resources Board on their energy efficiency efforts, and to learn plenty about modeling energy demand.

Charlie Merriam 
California Department of Water Resources

Charlie is a first year MS student in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department pursing a degree in Environmental Engineering focused on water resources and hydrology.  He received his BS in Civil Engineering from The Ohio State University before working as a civilian Naval Architect for 6 years. In his graduate studies he is focused on water resources systems analysis, the water energy nexus, and water and energy policy. Charlie’s research focuses on technoeconomic and environmental aspects of selenium removal technologies from agricultural and industrial waste waters. Charlie is excited to spend the summer working with the Power and Risk Office at the California Department of Water Resources working on integrating solar power into Lake Orville’s Pumped storage operation.

Merritt Vassallo 
California Department of Water Resources

Merritt is a freshman at Stanford University majoring in Mechanical Engineering, with a focus on energy. Growing up in California with a love of the outdoors, Merritt is passionate about environmental advocacy in her community and beyond. Throughout high school, she explored her interest in energy through a number of projects—from conducting an independent study on California’s electricity markets to modeling and analyzing a mock cogeneration power plant. Merritt is passionate about bridging her interests in both the policy and technology behind energy, and is thrilled to be interning at the California Department of Water Resources (CDWR) this summer. At the DWR, she will help conduct energy audits and assist the State Water Project’s goal of achieving Zero Net Energy. In her free time at Stanford, she can be found biking on nearby trails or reading at Meyer Green.