Meet Diego Cancel ‘16, a former Sustainability Steward who is currently making a meaningful impact in Miami, Florida as a USA Program Coordinator.
How has your experience with the Sustainability Stewards influenced your personal or professional pursuits?
As a Steward, I learned a very valuable lesson that if we work together, but divide and conquer, we can get more done. What I mean by that is we would split into groups that would work together to address specific topics, from clean water, to banning plastic bags on campus. In the professional environmental world, I often find that there are too many entities working on the same issues, but often do not cooperate with each other. That is one thing I incorporate into my everyday work.
What advice would you give to current or future sustainability leaders based on your experience?
I think future sustainability leaders should test the waters on a variety of topics. I graduated with a degree in Environmental Technologies & Management, which taught us GIS, water, soil, and air quality monitoring and testing amongst other more scientific topics. The degree is very versatile and allowed me to find my calling throughout my different experiences.
During my college years, I did internships in environmental education and ultimately I found that it was my calling. All the other knowledge I gained was very important and it helped me find my passion.
What’s your favorite memory as a Sustainability Steward?
Overall my best memories were of meeting with like-minded people and together striving to leave the planet better than how we found it.
Where Are They Now?
Meet Former Sustainability Stewards