MSES Student Profile: Christopher Chacko
Nov 22, 2021 11:27 AM
Chacko joined the MS in Energy and Sustainability (MSES) program to turn his interests in sustainability and food production and consumption into a meaningful career
MSES Student Profile: Taylor Bradshaw
Supporting Communities with Renewables
Tierney Acott | December 1, 2021
Electricity is most important to Taylor Bradshaw, an MS in Energy and Sustainability (MSES) student, because of the job growth in renewable energy.
Bradshaw studied Economics and Spanish at Loyola University, graduating in 2017. Following graduation, Bradshaw worked for Tradewater, a company that fights climate change by collecting and destroying the most powerful greenhouse gases in the world. “I found myself unfulfilled by that, because carbon credits [created in the process of destroying greenhouse gases like refrigerants] are just little bandages to a much bigger problem that demands systemic changes,” says Bradshaw. “I wanted to pivot to some sort of environmental company because I was really passionate, and still am, about fighting the climate crisis.” To kick start her journey in the renewable energy sector, she started considering different graduate school programs.
ISEN’s MSES program was particularly appealing to Bradshaw because it was only one year, limiting the time away from her job and an active income. “It also felt like ISEN was going to be putting a lot of resources and time into making sure the program was a success because it was so new,” says Bradshaw. Another great appeal - the pairing of adjunct industry professionals actively working in the sustainability sector as with traditional academic professors.
Now that Bradshaw is in the program, she is most excited about finding her place in the energy industry, especially as it develops and changes. “I really enjoy learning about what companies are innovating, and what projects they're working on,” she says. She is taking this a step further and specializing in Sustainable Technology, covering transitions and systems pertaining to production, transmission, and distribution of energy. Bradshaw is looking forward to participating in the program’s capstone project to gain experiential perspective about how companies innovate in the sustainable space, and to develop a toolkit with relevant experience that she can show to future employers.
She also values the opportunity to connect and grow with her cohort as they continue their careers in the sustainability and energy industries. “I feel like the community we've built so far as a cohort has been really meaningful. It's super great to be in a room with people who love talking about climate solutions and renewable energy, and cool niche climate topics that I wouldn't have thought about my own,” she says.
Being a part of the technology development and transition to renewables is her sweet spot. In a perfect world, she would find herself “working on renewable development projects, particularly ones that will serve communities the energy sector has historically extracted from or harmed.” From both the MSES program and her peers, it’s clear to Bradshaw that “the whole industry is awash in innovation,” and she’s excited to take the next step in her career to create sustainable change and generate opportunities.