Sustainable Spotlight: Students/ Career
Darryl Acker-Carter: Global Sustainability Scholarship
Darryl is a sophomore Environmental Sustainability Studies major from Annapolis, Maryland. Along with his studies he has served on the E-board Mason’s Green Patriots and will the President of this student group for the 2019-20 academic year. He has also been enrolled in and the Peer Mentor for the Environment and Sustainability LLC for Mason Housing, will be University Sustainability’s first Green Residence Intern, and is an active member of the environmental professional organization Alpha Kappa Chi.
This Spring, he was awarded as a Global Sustainability Scholar (GSS). This highly competitive program selects 7-10 students from participating countries “to join a GSS cohort and the larger international sustainability solutions community. Each cohort of scholars will focus their training and research experience on a theme with in Sustainability.” It allows them to travel for three summers learning about and researching sustainability issues funded completely by the scholarship program. George Mason University has partnered with GSS to support two Mason students in our inaugural cohort. When asked why he decided to apply for this opportunity, Darryl said “It’s basically a study abroad that is paid for! This was the first time I saw an opportunity specifically focused on sustainability, which aren’t very common, and it seemed perfect for me.”
His involvement at Mason has shaped how he has pursued sustainability. Darryl said “Joining Green Patriots and the (Environment & Sustainability) LLC was a great way to be introduced to this topic and figure out if I was really interested in sustainability. Being a member of Alpha Kappa Chi has prepared me to work with stakeholders and taught me professional communication and networking skills. The most valuable part of the organization for is how it prepares me to talk to people from different backgrounds, which will be very valuable as a Global Sustainability Scholar.”
Darryl looks forward to the next three summers with this program, “I think I will enjoy how GSS helps develop students’ international network with researchers which could potentially lead to job opportunities.” His advice for students looking to achieve great opportunities like this one is “Get involved on campus! The more people you know, the more opportunities you can find. Also, your advisors and professors are great resources. They are constantly looking into opportunities for their students because they want to see you succeed.” Congratulations Darryl!
Written by Maggie Deely. Edited by Amber Saxton.
