The YPE SF Bay Area Leadership team is excited to announce the winners of our 2023 Scholarship Program!
The Scholarship Program aims to motivate the next generation of energy leaders and to create pathways for students to envision and realize successful careers in the clean economy. Each scholarship winner will receive $2,500 for educational expenses. Recipients are rising stars in their fields pursuing associates or bachelors degrees. In addition to financial awards, recipients receive mentorship and induction into the YPE SF Bay Area network to support their professional ambitions. If you are interested in supporting their journeys through professional opportunities or mentorship or sponsoring future scholarships, please reach out to our team at ypesfbayareascholarship@gmail.com.
We proudly congratulate our 2023 winners, Christina Pelliccio and Alexis Rollings, who were selected through a competitive process by our scholarship committee. We would also like to thank Ava Community Energy and Sunrun for sponsoring the 2023 Scholarship Program as well as our other corporate sponsor, 38 Degrees North. You can read more about Christina and Alexis below:
Christina Pelliccio
Scholarship sponsored by Ava Community Energy
Christina Pelliccio is a fourth-year undergraduate student at the University of California, Berkeley majoring in Society & Environment with minors in Energy & Resources and Public Policy. During the course of her academic career, she has immersed herself in the nexus of energy and environmental policy, and hopes to enter the renewable energy field post graduation.
For the past three years, Christina has worked as a Policy Assistant for the Center for Environmental Health, where she has gained experience researching federal and state legislation on energy issues, drafting bill comments, and litigating with environmental justice communities. In 2022, she worked as a Communications and Policy Intern at the Environmental and Energy Study Institute, where she helped execute the organization’s informative and acclaimed Congressional briefings, a key source of climate and energy information for policymakers in the federal government. For the past couple years, Christina has worked at Berkeley’s College of Natural Resources in the Environmental Science, Policy, and Management (ESPM) department, as well as served as Co-President for Berkeley’s chapter of Citizen’s Climate Lobby (CCL). This semester, she is conducting research for the College of Natural Resources on solar deployment in middle-income countries.
After graduating from Berkeley in December, Christina can envision herself working at an NGO, government agency, or clean energy provider. Christina is currently looking for mentorship and career opportunities with a focus on advancing crucial areas such as renewable energy deployment, climate policy, environmental law, and sustainable development. As an attorney or policy analyst, she hopes to bring a diverse skill set to the field while embracing the historical energy transition that is upon us.
Alexis Rollings
Scholarship sponsored by Sunrun
Alexis Rollings is an undergraduate student at Stanford University majoring in Earth Systems. As a student, she volunteers with the Rollings Foundation to increase food access in rural areas of South Africa and educate farmers about sustainable agricultural practices. In her hometown in Texas, she volunteers at a Dallas food pantry, transferring their ordering system online to increase food access for those with transportation issues. In her free time, Alexis loves to go to the gym, listen to podcasts, and spend time outside with friends.
Alexis is looking for mentors who can advise her on navigating the environmental law space. She is interested in studying the intersection of environmental science and public policy. As Alexis plans to have a career in environmental policy, addressing the race-based discrepancies present in current federal and local governments, she seeks a mentor with some experience in this area.
Alexis is currently searching for paid internships for Summer 2024 related to environmental policy and/or food justice in the climate space. She hopes to learn more about advocating for underrepresented groups through environmental regulation.
Interested in supporting their journey through mentorship or other opportunities? Please reach out to ypesfbayareascholarship@gmail.com.