Our Current Interns
The Office of Sustainability counts itself fortunate to have interns that are student leaders in the sustainability movement at Mason. This dynamic group helps us achieve our mission and goals and currently includes for-credit interns, as well as paid interns who serve as Team Leaders to numerous service learners and volunteers.
Interested in a paid internship?
If you are a student interested in a paid internship, please contact us at gogreen@gmu.edu for more information. However, we highly encourage interested students to invest time in volunteering and/or working in a for-credit capacity first. This allows us to get to know the student’s strengths and abilities, and these students are the first to know about paid opportunities within the Office.
Rhys is an undergraduate student at Mason majoring in Environmental and Sustainability Studies with a concentration in Sustainable Food and Agriculture. His role as the Recruitment Team Leader is to recruit volunteers and interns for the Greenhouse and Gardens Program. You can also find Rhys leading volunteer shifts at the Innovation Food Forest and providing back-up at the Greenhouse and PHVG as needed. Outside of the Office of Sustainability, Rhys is also heavily involved on campus with student organizations such as the Vegan Society at GMU and the GMU Organic Gardening Association. He lives off-campus, has a cat named Rue, and loves to grow food.
Emma is a senior studying environmental science with a concentration in conservation. She is passionate about engaging people to empower and enable them to live more sustainably. During her academic career, she has studied sustainability at the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation, University of Oxford, and in the Peruvian Amazon rain forest. Outside of the Office of Sustainability, she is President of the Mason Environmental Justice Alliance, a brother of Alpha Kappa Chi (the co-educational professional fraternity focused on the environment), and a musician with the Green Machine. After graduation in May 2020, Emma plans to work for an environmental non-profit organization doing community outreach or environmental justice work.
Alexa Hines is a junior majoring in Environmental Sustainability with a concentration in Sustainable Food and Agriculture. She loves to connect people to their food and teach students how to grow their own food using sustainable agricultural practices. That is why she is excited to intern with the Office of Sustainability as George Mason’s Organic Gardening Association’s Events and Outreach Coordinator this semester. Motivating students to get involved in sustainability initiatives has become one of her passions. She has found that knowing how to market to students is what initially sparks their interest and draws them into wanting to create a change, and she enjoys being a part of that process.
Maria will soon complete her B.A. in Environmental and Sustainability studies with a concentration in Sustainable Food and Agriculture. She is an active member of Campus Kitchens and GOGA where her efforts address food insecurity and food waste with existing resources on campus. She also assists the Gardens Team Lead in the production of the Potomac Heights Vegetable Garden. Throughout her experience working as a hydroponic, and organic, farmer she has developed a passion for producing food that is chemical free, pesticide free, nutrient dense and accessible for all students on campus.
Colleen is an Environmental and Sustainability Studies major with a concentration in Environmental Policy and a minor in GIS. When not leading zero waste volunteers in daily coffee grounds composting shifts, she works as part of the leadership team for Mason’s chapter of the Campus Kitchens Project. The Campus Kitchen at GMU is a student organization fighting food insecurity and food waste in our campus community. After she graduates, she plans to continue volunteering with local food recovery efforts while pursuing a career within the field of Sustainability!