In our “Where Are They Now?” series, current student interns interview former students about their experience at the Office of Sustainability (OS), particularly how that experience has helped them since graduation. In the following entry, Stephanie Wells relates her conversation with Eliza Lindley, who was formerly a Campus Sustainability Intern with the OS.
From leading campus sustainability initiatives to teaching the next generation about the environment, Eliza Lindley, a former undergraduate student at UW–Madison, shared her path in wildlife ecology and environmental education since she graduated with a degree in Environmental Science and Life Sciences Communication, with a certificate in Sustainability, in 2023.
Since graduation, Eliza has been involved in many different positions and initiatives across America. This drive stems from her development at UW-Madison. During her time as an undergraduate, Eliza was involved in a multitude of different campus opportunities, one of which being the student intern program at the Office of Sustainability. As an intern, she was a member of the Green Labs, Green Athletics, and SustainUW Podcast teams, where she worked with clients, collaborated with and conducted waste audits on athletics, and hosted and edited a variety of podcast episodes. She also even wrote a “Where are they now?”! Along with this, she assisted with Zero Waste projects including dumpster tagging and e-waste monitoring, served as the co-president of Student-Athlete Leaders for Sustainability (SALS), helped design and bring to life “emPOWERing Youth for a Brighter Future,” an Earth Day event for high school and college students, and spoke on a student sustainability panel at a Board of Regents meeting.
Eliza cited the OS for a lot of her career growth. Being able to practice project management through planning events and leading meetings provided her with an exceptional level of comfort with taking initiative. She also appreciated the opportunity to become more experienced in practical science communication, something she has used a lot in her career thus far.
“I loved being able to pour my energy into so many different outlets and mediums. This urge to diversify has followed me into my career, and I’ve found that it’s possible to keep on exploring, even after graduation!” she said.
But, above all, Eliza was grateful for her peers. This community pushed her to grow– not only a pleasure to work with, but also a group from whom she could learn.
Eliza found community in the sustainability world outside of the OS as well. She was an involved member of the marching band, founding the Badger Band Sustainability Team in a fun crossover. She was a part of the CALS Honors in Research Program, where she worked on a project on stormwater management outreach materials for the Lake Wingra neighborhood, as well as with the Orrock Lab, where she published a study on the impact of freeze-thaw events on native vs. invasive seeds. Eliza was also a part of the Community Environmental Scholars Program, a tour guide at the Geology Museum, and edited a medical student podcast called “What Brings You In Today?”.
After graduating, Eliza moved to California to work on the backcountry aquatics crew with the National Park Service in the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. There, her team worked to restore high alpine lakes to protect the endangered mountain yellow-legged frog, by collecting environmental DNA samples of streams, removing introduced fish from delicate lake basins, bullfrogging, burn reforestation, public outreach, and more. Specifically, she found joy in the latter, where she realized her true goals for her career: connecting people with science and the environment.
Next, Eliza joined an AmeriCorps program called the Big Sky Watershed Corps (BSWC), where she was placed with the National Wildlife Federation as their Garden for Wildlife program coordinator in Montana. In this position, she worked on workshops on building rain barrels, led wildlife ecology activities in schools, staffed information tables at farmer’s markets, organized volunteer restoration events, led fundraising efforts, and managed the newsletter and social media. However, she was still looking for more education-based work as this is where her true passion lied.
Eliza stayed with AmeriCorps, but this time traveled to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where she served withTeton Science Schools, leading field education with visiting school groups, assisting with educational programming at the National Museum of Wildlife Art, and collaborating on various projects with Jackson Hole Public Art.
“I loved getting to pair these adventurous experiences with time creating and appreciating art through my other roles,” said Eliza.
Her last stop before her current landing spot was at the Port Townsend Marine Science Center in Washington as a summer camp assistant for the summer. Here, she designed and led programs to teach 6-14 year olds about Washington’s marine ecology.
Now, Eliza works for the University of Washington Botanic Gardens as an outdoor preschool teacher with the Fiddleheads Forest School, as well as a member of the events crew. Here, she co-teaches a dozen 4-5 year olds about different nature-related weekly topics while outdoors. She also assists in set-up and take-down of events, as well as leading field trips with visiting schools. While Eliza expressed her love and happiness for where she is currently at, she does anticipate obtaining her master’s degree in the near future.