Volunteerism

GRID Alternatives Solar Spring Break 2016, San Diego, California

Me and a group of 10 others installed Solar PV systems for 3 low income households in the San Pasqual Indian Reservation in San Diego, California. In order to fund this, we raised $5000 through crowdfunding and our personal donations. We had a lot of fun working as a team, and also learned about the different mechanical and electrical components in a PV system.

Greentech Media (GTM) Solar Summit 2016, Scottsdale, Arizona

Me and two of my classmates were volunteers for GTM's Solar Summit in Arizona. Our main responsibilities were to assist the event manager with registration, organize information packets, and do mic running for questions. It was an amazing experience to listen to discussions conducted by the GTM staff, whose great articles I always keep up to date with! And, not to mention, trying to finally grasp the acronyms all the experienced solar speakers throw around. This event was also a great opportunity for us to network with a lot of interesting people in the solar industry.

Solar Power International (SPI) 2015, Anaheim, California

Most of us from the solar energy engineering master's program kicked off our semester by attending Solar Power International 2015. We all had a little exposure to solar, but after attending SPI, we were blown away by the enormous number of people and companies in the industry. As volunteers we each had responsibilities such as directing attendees, timing sessions, etc. In the time between my shifts, I managed to attend a few educational sessions by Solar Energy International (SEI) on solar + storage and solar financing. I also networked and exchanged business cards with some micro-inverter and residential solar companies. Overall, SPI is a one-of-a-kind experience and a must-go for any individual in the solar industry!