Scholarships

Call for Applicants for a Scholarship to RE+ (SPI, ESI) 2022 Conference

Sponsored by the San Diego Chapter of the Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy

WRISE San Diego will be providing a Scholarship to the RE+ SPI ESI event coming up on September 19-22, 2022 in Anaheim, California. If you are or aspire to be a Renewable Energy Professional, this is a great opportunity for you to take part at RE+, the largest energy event in North America! We will announce the recipient by email and feature them in our blast and social media pages!

How to apply
Please provide a short essay (1-page minimum) describing:

• Why you are interested in attending the RE+ Conference
• What you plan to achieve by attending
• How your attendance will further the mission of women working in the field of solar power energy

Please also provide your name, current job/title, educational background as well as an email address where we can reach you.

Applications are to be sent via email to rosebowluslaw@gmail.com by September 12, 2022. The scholarship recipient will be notified by email and with an announcement published across the WRISE network.

Who can apply
Any person working on a college degree prior to entering the solar power energy industry, or a professional either currently working or interested in working in the solar power energy industry. No past recipients may apply.

Recipient Obligations
The scholarship recipient will be expected to complete the following:

• Attend the RE+ Conference
• Provide a verbal and written summary of achievements at the show within a month after the event. A verbal summary can be given by attending a WRISE San Diego Steering Committee call.
• Allow use of your professional photo and report for our sponsors and future recipients.

We look forward to receiving your application!

Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy San Diego Steering Committee

Julie Hadfield, Workforce & Volunteerism SolarCorps Fellow
GRID Alternatives, San Diego
WRISE Leadership Forum 2020 winner

The WRISE Leadership Forum was truly a life-changing event for me. Not only was I able to attend due to the WRISE San Diego’s generous scholarship, but I was able to join my fellow colleagues from GRID Alternatives in learning more about leadership in renewable industries, in gaining practical skills for my field and my future, and in networking with empowering women from across the world.

Some of the breakout topics I joined included “Surviving (and Thriving) When your Company is Acquired or Reorganizing”, where I learned how best to maneuver my placement within an organization while also understanding how to grow professionally from challenging obstacles and seek opportunities where there seem too few. The “Brave Space” sessions were geared toward women of diverse backgrounds, emphasizing inclusion and understanding of additional challenges in the workplace that we face. “Industry Trends” included a panel of highly knowledgeable and experienced women who are actively involved in the ins and outs of renewable industry market fluctuations. “Negotiation Skills” contributed to our knowledge of effective negotiation strategies and building constructive relationships toward common goals.

Each workshop was highly successful in teaching and enhancing participants’ skills, but my absolute favorite workshop had to be the “90 Day Challenge with VoteRunLead”. This dynamite seminar motivates, supports, and promotes women to run for elected leadership positions. From the workshop, it showed accessible steps for networking while also encouraging women to be who they are and run as they are. Of the steps to VoteRunLead, the most impactful to me is the step to “Take credit for your power and opinions and stop diminishing them […] Know what you’re saying and own it!”

VoteRunLead, like the WRISE Leadership Forum, champions women’s voices and involvement in positions that push our potential rather than hide it. Events like these remind women of the power we hold and the leadership we are able to wield. We need those reminders because often in the shuffle of everyday life, we forget how to thrive, we forget to be brave, we forget to negotiate. It’s about time we remembered because this is the time for us to lead, boldly and without apology.

Natalie Mazzotta, Project Director – SPI Scholarship Winner

Natalie is the primary point of contact to request services from Gemini’s technical support teams. For projects large and small, she blends the appropriate skill sets, industry best practices, emerging trends and technology for quality service support. As a member of WRISE and AWEA, she promotes collaborative engagement to boost women’s participation and professional development within the renewable market sector. With an M.A. in Education from NYU, she is a lifelong learner and educator, pushing the boundaries of the renewable energy acumen.

Congratulations to Katrine Myrseth, our 2019 WINDPOWER Scholarship Recipient!

Environmental stewardship and sustainable advocacy have been driving forces within me since high school. I knew I wanted to work with protecting the environment and thus ended up with a Bachelor of Science in Geography from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, and a Master of Science in Conservation and Forest Protection from Imperial College London, two international recognized universities in the UK. Moreover, it led me to almost six years work experience within sustainable
communities: land use planning, environmental compliance and public policy from local, county and national government in Norway. In addition, I have field work experience from two national parks in California, which made me fall in love with the beauty and diversity of California’s natural environment with its contrasts from the coast Redwoods to chaparral and desert landscapes. I am born and raised in Norway with an American mother, so when my husband had an opportunity to relocate from
Scandinavia to work for DNV GL in the North American renewables industry, the international move came naturally for us.

Prior to relocating to San Diego, I was working for Ullern Borough in Oslo, the capital of Norway. Through my position there as a Special Consultant in environment and planning, I reviewed some of Oslo City’s ambitious sustainable development strategies, policy proposals and new development plans with zoning maps and statutory provisions. My responsibility was to evaluate their impact on the local community and write briefing papers to the ‘Environmental, Planning and Traffic Committee’ and formulate recommendations to the local politicians.

Furthermore, through working as an Advisor with outdoor recreation policy at the Norwegian Ministry of Climate and Environment, I also helped review and contributed text to the white papers: Climate change adaptation in Norway and Nature for life — Norway’s national biodiversity action plan. I have also been exposed to examples of energy efficiency and renewable energy through my work with the implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive on the South Coast of Norway. In addition, I was
involved with transportation and urban planning through giving feedback to white papers on community planning, and on the importance of integrating bicycle routes and walking paths.

Due to my international background, I bring with me unique experience, ideas and examples from a country and a city at the forefront of climate action and sustainability, which I want to put to good use here in the USA. Oslo is now the European Green Capital for 2019. I see wind power and the renewable industry as a very attractive and relevant sector for me to work in. Hence, I am very excited about this opportunity to attend AWEA WindPower. I am particularly interested in the intersection between the
different stakeholders and the democratic process of generating a good development/building plan that minimizes the conflict with biodiversity and cultural heritage. In order to utilize my excellent people skills and extroverted personality, I am looking for jobs that have a strong interfacing and liaison role. With a teaching certificate in Practical Pedagogy I am well equipped to work with community relations, government affairs, communication, education and outreach within the wind power and sustainability sector.

I am very grateful to WRISE for the scholarship to attend the AWEA WindPower conference in 2019 in Houston, and I will make the most of this opportunity! Thank you.

Congratulations to Lucy Tafur, Engineer Project Associate with AWS Truepower, our new 2018 WINDPOWER Scholarship Recipient!

Lucy is a San Diego native and a recent Environmental Engineering graduate from UC San Diego. She first became involved with the wind industry as an intern for a wind farm developer and now works full time as a Renewable Energy Analyst for a consultancy company. She is excited for the opportunity to attend this year’s WINDPOWER conference as it offers her the opportunity to further her professional development by exposing her to the latest industry technologies and allowing her to network with established professionals in the field. She is passionate about renewable technology and the positive environmental impacts these present.  Ultimately, she hopes to use the knowledge gained during the conference to assist women aspiring to join the field and continue empowering young girls from underrepresented communities to pursue careers in science and engineering.

We look forward to hearing an event recap from Lucy after the conference!