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Stephanie Mernick
Market Development and Support Division Co-op at the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center
On Friday, Feb. 1, the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) was fortunate enough to have Jocelyn, Vanessa and Haqika, three bright high school students from the Boston Public Schools, visit as part of the Boston Private Industry Council’s Job Shadow Day and learn about our role in the clean energy sector.
While the girls initially weren’t very familiar with the world of clean energy, they were eager to learn about all the exciting things Massachusetts is doing.
After an introduction to renewable energy by MassCEC CEO Alicia Barton, the students were given a tour around the office and spoke with employees in different departments. They were then able to dive into a few of the projects underway in our office, learning about our solar electricity and solar hot water programs run through MassCEC, as well as the work involved in telling the Massachusetts clean energy story to the public.
One hour into the tour, one student mentioned that while she didn’t know much about the field before, “renewable energy is an interesting topic and I want to keep learning more about it.” Another's take away was that “there are a lot of different departments that go into just one business” and she could see herself working in the clean energy sector.
Following an introduction to all of the initiatives at MassCEC, the students had the
opportunity to 
tour the Wind Technology Testing Center, where Executive Director Rahul Yarala gave a rundown on the growth of the offshore wind industry.
For students who were completely new to clean energy at the start of the day, they sure did know a lot more by the end. We were thrilled to have them visit so we could learn from them and share our mission with these bright young students, members of our next clean energy generation.
Tags: boston public schools, high school student, masscec, renewable energy, Wind Technology Testing Center
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Great story… it’s encouraging to see our future leaders being mentored by people like you who are committed to creating rational and innovative solutions for sustainable growth. We won’t make a difference by complacency or by maintaining the status quo. Bravo to the the high school students, to Ms. Mernick, and to the MassCEC for proving the viability of alternative energy solutions.