Adelle is a member of the City of Fort Collins’s Climate Team. She manages the community and organizational greenhouse gas inventories; supports planning and implementation of the joint climate, energy, and waste plan, Our Climate Future (OCF); and leads the community partnership program for OCF.
What led you to a natural resources education/career?
When I started at CSU, I was majoring in Music Therapy, but I quickly realized I was drawn to work in the space of humans’ relationship to our environment. I grew up connecting to the land when exploring the forest and swamp behind my house and helping in my parents’ enormous garden, and when I got to CSU, all the sustainability initiatives caught my attention and sparked my excitement for making a difference in that area. Climate change has increasingly felt like the most important thing to spend my time and energy on.
What do you identify as your 'big break?' Did CSU have anything to do with it?
I’ve been extremely fortunate to have several opportunities at the City of Fort Collins, starting with an internship with Fort Collins Utilities. From there, I became a part-time program assistant with Sustainability Services, then a contractual, full-time member of the Climate Team, and now a Senior Sustainability Specialist. Each of these steps has felt like a “big break” because I’ve had professional mentors and cheerleaders who have helped me grow, learn, and find confidence in myself as a professional.
Can you reflect on your time and experiences at CSU and how it benefited you?
My time at CSU helped me find my footing in what I cared about and how to balance my interests in sustainability and music. By having incredible experiences like studying at the Mountain Campus alongside performing in operas, I found space for the many pieces of my life and lay the groundwork for how to fit them all together as an adult. Most importantly, I made a few excellent, supportive, lifelong friends – I met one of my best friends at ESS Club and another in my freshman year dorm.