As a small business working with local governments, the strength of KLA is in our people. Every member of our team plays a crucial role in shaping the work we do and driving positive change in the communities we work with. Our work with local governments requires the collaborative efforts of individuals across the country with different backgrounds, experiences, and fresh perspectives – so we are thrilled to be welcoming a new class of bright and talented KLA interns to our team!
We’ve had many cohorts of interns over the years, but this year marked an intentional effort to recruit young professionals from racial and ethnic backgrounds underrepresented in the climate adaptation, mitigation, and the clean energy fields. KLA always centers equity in our planning processes, but we know that one of the most important contributions we can make in the climate sphere is an equitable practice that promotes belonging. We worked with the MassCEC’s Clean Energy Internship program to connect with passionate, committed, and mission-driven students from across the Massachusetts (our home base) for this year’s cohort.
These interns will help KLA deliver on a number of client and internal projects, from storytelling on our Community Dashboards and assisting clients with community engagement to digging into data with our Climate Analysis Team. The group will be an integral part of our team, contributing their enthusiasm, energy, and unique perspectives to freshen and sharpen the focus of our work.
Introducing the 2023 Summer KLA Internship Program Cohort:
Dunia Seidu, Climate Storytelling Intern
Dunia will be joining our Dashboard Team this summer, helping to tell the story of climate data for communities across the country.
“As an English student specializing in Journalism and Professional Writing, I'm very interested in the most efficient and effective ways of communicating my own ideas, as well as those of others. I was really excited for this opportunity at KLA, because I realized I could learn critical climate action steps, as well as how to convince the average person of how important this is. This position comes at an especially important time for me, as now that I'm about to graduate, I would like to dedicate time to contributing to change outside of the structured institution of college. I was also compelled by KLA's dedication to equity, and their understanding of why climate justice is so important for every community. Working here has reinvigorated me and my desire to work with my community in this capacity. This summer, I'm most looking forward to learning about climate action plans in detail, as well as researching data visualization strategies to improve dashboard data features.”
Nathan Abreu-Cruz, Climate Analysis Intern
Nathan will be working closely with our Climate Analysis Team to help local governments track emissions through greenhouse gas inventories and reporting.
“While I have spent valuable years studying environmental science, my professional experience in the field has been limited, namely to a brief internship with the Massachusetts EEA. I chose an internship with KLA not only for the opportunity to alleviate this, but so I could approach this vast field from a new angle. KLA works with local governments, so being part of the team will give me the opportunity to witness how a different side of the field contributes to the common goal of sustainability. As I am in the earliest stages of my career, I believe there is much merit in an experience like this. I am eager to work with the rest of the Climate Analysis team to gain confidence in my abilities and to feel like I have contributed to something truly worthwhile.”
Saahithi Achanta, Marketing and Engagement Intern
Saahithi will be supporting both our Marketing and Engagement Teams to communicate important climate information and conduct equitable engagement strategy for community climate action plans.
" Environmental justice and energy efficiency is a broad and diverse field to become integrated into, and as a rising student I was intimidated to become involved in a more business-forward field instead of community organizing and volunteering. But KLA seemed like the perfect intersection of energy justice, community building, and climate resilience. Seeing how the company goes around the US aiding cities and states to stir positive change made the environmental field seem less intimidating. I’m thrilled to be a part of the Marketing and Engagement teams because it comes down to how to communicate the issues we see with climate change and expand the reach of the climate resilience plans while increasing awareness about sustainable practices. I aspire to learn more about what companies can do to motivate people from around the country to take climate resilience seriously, and I hope to do so by learning more communication skills from my team members. I also look forward to seeing how climate plans can change depending on the needs of communities and how policy can shape long term goals.”
