Sometimes one experience can have a lasting impact. For Gabrielle Sott ’22 (International Business and Economics, Sustainability dual major), joining the B Impact Clinic was a life changing decision. Gabrielle, then a junior, was looking for an opportunity to contribute towards sustainability in a tangible way. Passionate about transforming the business sector for the better, Gabrielle became involved with the B Impact Clinic to help advance ethical standards for companies that participate in the Clinic. Working with a cohort of peers, she evaluated the steps that Clinic client Dirigo Collective needed to reach B Corp certification. The experience was impactful enough that Gabrielle would go on to serve as a B Impact Peer Mentor the following semester, and eventually start her own B Corp certification consultancy, Gen Impact Partners.
Gabrielle’s interest in sustainability first developed during high school. While helping to rebuild homes on a mission trip to West Virginia, she witnessed how disproportionally impacted low-income communities were by heavy flooding. The experience led her to consider a career in social and environmental welfare. Further, Gabrielle’s time studying abroad in Barcelona, Spain contributed her to passion for sustainability. Witnessing the resourcefulness of waste management systems in place, she began to imagine ways that similar practices could be adapted back home. After discovering the B Impact Clinic course offered at UNH, she saw it as an opportunity to connect her passions, by using the power of business to contribute towards social good.
Beginning in 2006, the B Lab network has been transforming businesses across the globe. Designed to promote accountability, transparency, and performance, the B Impact assessment provides a set of benchmark standards to meet. Companies who reach the minimum score of 80 can become a certified B Corporation. Since 2019, UNH has been part of this community movement. Through the B Impact Clinic, students can work with companies to navigate the certification process, as well as determine areas for corporate improvement.
For Gabrielle, working in the B Impact Clinic demonstrated the potential businesses could hold. “I saw how a business is run, and how it could be run,” she recalls. Watching companies take action to reflect their values inspired her to continue working for positive advancement. Pitching an idea for a B Corp certification consulting business as a finalist in the NH Social Venture Innovation Challenge in 2021, Gabrielle launched Gen Impact Partners alongside fellow alum, Katie Rascoe '22 after graduation. The firm specializes in advising companies throughout the B Corp certification process, as well as performing carbon footprint analyses.
Gabrielle hosting a panel at the B Corp Leadership Development Conference, alongside fellow Alum Katie Rascoe
As an alum, Gabrielle gives back to UNH, serving as a Business Advisor for undergrads involved in the B Impact Clinic. “I appreciated being involved as a student, and having a voice,” she says. “The Clinic offers real world experience.” Gabrielle also recently accepted a position as Program Support Assistant for the UNH Sustainability Institute as a post graduation experience, while growing her consulting business. Working with the organization that first connected her to the B Impact Clinic, she is excited to see what is in store for the future.
