Hi, my name is Vanessa Pratt! I am originally from a small town in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, but I am now a rising senior at Pitt pursuing marketing, supply chain management, and environmental studies majors with a certificate in sustainability. On campus, I am involved in several student organizations including the American Marketing Association, Epsilon Eta Delta environmental honors fraternity, Filipino Student Association, club ultimate frisbee, League of Emerging Analytic Professionals, and Asian Student Alliance.
My previous employment experiences involve working as an event assistant for the Pennsylvania Resource Council and a shopper for Instacart. My work with the Pennsylvania Resource Council has taught me what goes on behind the scenes of sustainability initiatives during large-scale events. The previous summer, I also gained fieldwork experience in Spring Creek, Wyoming as part of another six-credit course. The difference is that the field course specialized in paleontological, ecological, and archaeological research of western landscapes with a much smaller class size.
I chose this six-credit summer study abroad program in Sydney, Australia because I’ve always wanted to visit Australia and learn about the nation’s history. As an environmentalist and person of Asian descent, I was extremely excited to live in such a sustainable city with lots of Asian representation. It also allows me to work towards completing the 150 credits required for a dual degree in a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Business Administration. Not only do these courses meet my general education requirements, but an environmental internship is also required for my environmental studies degree. Through CAPA, I am enrolled in the Analyzing & Exploring the Global City and Global Internship courses.
After the first week in Sydney, I have fallen in love with this city and country. The people are incredibly helpful, the food options are so diverse, the urban planning is super green, and the nature is beautifully wild. I have already had the amazing opportunities to visit the Sydney Harbor via a private cruise, Berowra Valley National Park, Double Bay Beach, Kamay Botany Bay National Park, Featherdale Wildlife Park, and the Blue Mountains. Not to mention the housing located within Darling Harbour provides myself and my classmates easy access to all parts of the city via public transportation. Only a thirty-minute walk from the apartment is the corporate office of my internship at PlantingSeeds. This internship at an environmental non-profit is providing me with real-world experience in the career I am most interested in pursuing in the future, which is marketing for a sustainable company. A day “in the office” consisted of visiting Stanmore Public School, where I aided in education sessions centered around creating habitats for native pollinators. I am looking forward to gaining strong communication skills with those culturally different than what I am typically used to, as well as professional marketing skills throughout my study abroad.
