2008 College Interns

A photo of four Native American student interns and their mentor, Sandra Begay-Cambell, standing in front of an inflatable pumpkin that is as tall as the two-story commercial building behind it. Two of the students are women, and two are men.

Pictured left to right at the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) Conference in Anaheim, California: Gepetta Billie, Carson Pete, Terry Battiest, Sandra Begay-Campbell, Suzanne Singer

This is how one of the Tribal Energy Program's four 2008 college interns described the internship experience and how it served to influence and guide the interns' future paths:

"This internship has been one of the most motivating and unsurpassed experiences of my life. The summer opportunities were diverse and ranged from working, conversing, and experiencing what the top engineers and leaders in the country have planned and are developing for local and nationwide energy problems, to developing a better understanding of current renewable energy projects on tribal lands and the difficulties they have encountered, to examining the need for more tribal groups to become champions in leading their nations to the renewable energy world and setting examples other nations can follow, and finally, to helping address the need for young, educated Native Americans to become proactive in using their higher education to the best of their abilities and providing a better world for all of us to live in." —Carson Pete, 2008

Gepetta Billie (Navajo) — Graduate student in regional and community planning, University of New Mexico: Renewable Energy: Planning for Sustainability and Self-Determination for the Navajo Nation
Carson Pete (Navajo) — Graduate student in mechanical engineering, Northern Arizona University: North Leupp Family Farms Project: Agriculture Systems Using Photovoltaic Cells and Small Wind