By Lauren, Leader-In-Field-Training
It all started in fall of 2011. I was sitting in my Careers class when our teacher announces that we will have a guest speaker. In walks a man and who immediately starts talking about energy efficiency and how we can help our community. At first, I wasn’t particularly interested. What did this have to do with me? We already recycled and turned things off when we weren’t using them. He was offering positions at Rising Sun Energy Center to be an Energy Specialist. He had gotten my attention. I asked question after question. “What does the company do?” “Why is this so important?” “How do I apply?” He answered each question with ease and passion, which encouraged me to apply for the job. I was an Energy Specialist that fall, as well as the following summer. But what does this little story have to do with anything?
Well, here I am, 4 years later as a LIFT. So much has changed since I first joined the program. Rising Sun has expanded as a whole, and we are serving more cities than we ever have before! This expansion means hiring more youth, installing more light bulbs, and having a larger impact. Through CYES, I’ve gained important professional skills, allowing me to mature and find myself. This nonprofit has given me more than I ever thought I would obtain from a single job. We’re working towards one common goal–to save the environment. And we’re doing it one light bulb at a time.
