Wynona Eurj Curaming, a Master of Environmental Management student, spent her summer as a sustainability intern with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Each year, Nicholas School of the Environment students complete internships with organizations around the world. These internships provide valuable opportunities to gain career-related experience and build a professional network. 

Duke Environment recently caught up with Wynona to learn more about her experience.

What projects did you work on during your internship? What did you find most rewarding or memorable?

Wynona Eurj Curaming

I was a sustainability intern at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The three main projects I worked on were building energy use benchmarking, zero-waste procurement policy development, and tenant climate commitments. Building energy use benchmarking involved assessing the energy efficiency of the Port Authority's buildings using Energy Star Portfolio Manager, Excel, and Power BI. This analysis informs the next steps of our energy management program. I was also engaged in the Port Authority's zero-waste program. I contributed to upcoming zero-waste procurement policies by incorporating insights from helping organize zero-waste events and interviewing key stakeholders. Lastly, to shape future tenant engagement for Scope 3 emission reductions, I built a living database of 90 airlines' climate commitments and presented trends to our aviation department. 

The most memorable parts of my internship were the site visits. Together with my colleagues, I went to Newark Airport to collect metering data, helped facilitate a sustainability summer camp near JFK airport, and joined tours of the World Trade Center Campus and LaGuardia Airport. It was incredible to see how integral the Port Authority is in supporting the region's transportation system and economic activity.

How did the coursework and resources at the Nicholas School prepare you for success in this role, as well as your internship search?

I am so thankful to all my professors for imparting their knowledge and advice. The courses I took in energy, business, and analytics/modeling have been vital in preparing me for this role. I learned the language of energy systems and corporate sustainability and gained the confidence to analyze large datasets. I also had the opportunity to present sustainability-relevant findings and recommendations for a mock organization, which I ended up doing on a larger scale at the Port Authority. 

As for the internship search, I am grateful to the Nicholas School Career & Professional Development Center for their guidance. They provided feedback that helped polish my resume and directed me to alumni doing work I was interested in. My mentor from the NSOE Alumni-Student Mentorship program and my Nicholas School Buddy have been very helpful as well.

How do you envision this experience contributing to your long-term career goals?

My internship with the Port Authority has given me deep insight into how a sustainability office works as well as the challenges and best practices for aligning the whole organization and our tenants/suppliers with our sustainability aspirations. Doing these projects and learning from my coworkers has further honed my skills in analysis, communication, and collaboration. Last, but not least, I gained subject-matter knowledge on decarbonizing buildings and aviation, and the principles of zero-waste. These all contribute to my long-term career aspiration: to help organizations progress toward their net-zero and zero-waste goals, whether as an in-house sustainability person or an external advisor.