When it comes to sustainability experiences, Tori Wyman ‘21, 22G (Business Administration: Management; MBA) has many to reflect on. An active student, Tori took advantage of nearly every program offered at the time by the UNH Changemaker Collaborative (a partnership of UNH’s Sustainability Institute, Paul College and the Carsey School of Public Policy). During her time at UNH, she participated in Semester in the City, the B Impact Clinic, and the Summer Sustainability Fellowship. Her collective experiences helped build a network of skills and knowledge that contribute to her current job at Usource, a NextEra energy company.
An Associate Energy and Renewables Consultant, Tori works in a two-year rotational program. She assesses different operations within the renewable energy sector, which provide a detailed perspective on a sustainability-focused business. It’s a unique role, and one that Tori would not have imagined herself being in a few years prior.
As an undergraduate student, Tori originally majored in Business Administration, with an option in management. During a discovery course that studied bees, she was introduced to important concepts in sustainability. Tori found the focus on sustainability an interesting perspective she hadn’t considered before, and later expanded her degree to include a minor in Environmental Conservation and Sustainability. She also began participating in the different programs offered by the Changemaker Collaborative, including multiple terms in the B Impact Clinic. Her first experience with the Clinic involved working with a fiber optics company out of Maine to reach their B Corp certification. Tori then went on to serve as a peer mentor, advising other students involved in the Clinic.
“I’d recommend the B Impact Clinic, as it gives you a community to share your wins regularly,” she says. “I’ve also liked being involved with a team, as I did a lot of collaborative work.” Tori added that the experience gave her a large amount of responsibility, and she appreciated the professional experience. Further, it helped build her confidence.
“The Clinic gave me the ability to network, and it felt like so many people at the SI [Sustainability Institute] had my back. They were willing to help guide me and talk about things I was passionate about.”
In addition to the Clinic, Tori participated in the Semester in the City program. While earning a semester’s worth of credit, she interned full time with Green City Growers, a Massachusetts based B Corp. She also completed a summer fellowship with REVERB, a non-profit focused on the music industry. She spent several weeks working at consecutive music festivals, coordinating their reusable water bottles program, which provided refills for a small donation. Tori’s next summer fellowship, which was completed during her graduate studies, was a bit more complex. Working with Piscataqua Savings Bank during the academic year, she helped implement sustainable action items, and stayed on the following summer to recertify the company as a B Corp. Today, it remains one of two banks in New Hampshire to have reached B Corp status. This past summer, Tori interned as a Sustainability Fellow for Bristol Seafood in Portland, Maine, before accepting a position at Usource.
Looking back on her experiences, she finds it powerful to see how much they have impacted her career. From professional development to personal growth, it’s been an interesting journey for her to watch different passions unfold and shape her future line of work.