For non-profit organizations like Forth, the ultimate goal is to serve more members of the community. To understand what people truly need, we must learn from within. I joined the team as a Community Outreach Coordination intern through ROSE Community Development Corporation, a partner of Forth, earlier this year. This was a position I was proud to work in.

The idea behind electric transportation advocacy is to educate and inform the public what benefits and advantages can be brought to their homes and the city. The bigger picture, needless to say, is using an approach that highlights transportation equity. My work of community outreach consisted of various interactions with consumers; participation in community events such as fairs and markets; and meetings or public workgroups with other organizations and companies. Amongst all, I contributed to the development of curriculums for the youth education program—an on-going project initiated by Alexa Diaz and Kelly Yearick, previous community outreach specialists and outstanding mentors from AmeriCorps.

Creating a cleaner future, we believe, is a work of all people. It’s extremely rare to see younger generations in the market searching for an electric vehicle, yet it’s never too early to start exploring and caring for the planet we live on. A change of habit can have an amazing impact. Our focus was teaching new technology and environmental justice simultaneously, giving students the opportunity to think, planting the seeds of curiosity and responsibility for a better future at an early age. When the youth become adults, we hope to see a smarter, more educated public, potentially, with more and newer technology.

My career objective is to work in a challenging position with a rich learning experience. Working at Forth provided me with opportunities to practice my leadership, creativity, and teamwork skills. Everyone here possesses passion in their work, they take pride in what they do, no matter how challenging it may be. The open environment and committed work ethic make Forth an extraordinary place to grow one’s skills. Along the way, I also translated and localized materials used for Forth’s partnership with the Shanghai Energy Conservation Supervision Center and Roadmap 12. My experience working at Forth was—and will always be—a significant step contributing to my future career.