Q&A with Former CAPS Student Intern Ariana Robles
The effects of climate change are more than an abstract future risk for Ariana Robles, who felt them firsthand when a large wildfire engulfed mountains near her community and spread ash and other air pollutants. Instead of feeling powerless, Ariana turned to her experience as a Climate Action Pathways for School (CAPS) intern to navigate the challenges and advocate for opportunities to build local climate resilience.
Through her involvement with CAPS, Ariana has expanded her studies in engineering to incorporate a passion for sustainable construction using a Zero Energy approach. Ariana recognizes how CAPS helped hone her communication skills and harness the power of data to champion more sustainable solutions.
Ariana Robles is a civil engineering major at the University of Southern California. As a graduate of Harmony Magnet Academy, Ariana was an intern with CAPS beginning in 2019 before graduating in 2021.
Continue reading to learn more about Ariana and the lasting impact that CAPS had on her.
How did you get involved in CAPS programming?
During my sophomore year of high school at Porterville Unified School District (PUSD), I began noticing more coverage on the news and social media about climate change and started taking my own interest in sustainability. That year, Bill Kelly, one of the founders of Climate Action Pathways for Schools (CAPS), came to our school to speak about CAPS and the opportunity to be a climate action leader. That inspired me to shift gears to do more actively, not only educating myself but also learning how to be a part of the work being done to mitigate climate change.
Can you describe an impact of your experience as a CAPS intern?
One of the key aspects of our work was collecting data on energy consumption within the school and analyzing the results to identify areas where improvements could be made. The internship involved a lot of education, including for teachers who weren’t always aware of how much energy their classrooms consumed. We would share these findings with various stakeholders, including teachers, staff, and administrators. By demonstrating the cause and effect of different energy-saving scenarios, we were able to illustrate the importance of small changes in behavior and habits.
One of the most significant impacts I observed was the gradual transformation of energy-saving practices into a new norm within the school. Although I personally didn’t experience this shift during my senior year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it became evident that energy-conscious habits and behaviors were becoming ingrained in the school community. This change in mindset was crucial because altering established habits can often be challenging. Our work demonstrated that it was possible to function effectively with reduced energy consumption, such as using two-thirds of the lights instead of having all fixtures on.
Ariana analyzes data with a teacher and some of her fellow student interns.
How has participating in the CAPS internship impacted your understanding of green careers and their significance in addressing climate change?
I used to think that sustainability boiled down to individual behavior and policy changes that were contained in its own field. The CAPS internship helped me think about the many ways we need to create sustainable solutions, such as through net-zero energy construction, which led me to combine my interest in engineering with sustainability. I was already a part of the engineering pathway at PUSD, but it wasn’t until I became a CAPS intern that I decided I wanted to be a civil engineer working in sustainable construction.
During the internship, what did you feel was the most challenging part of the work? How did you overcome it?
We got some initial pushback from staff and students that stemmed from concerns that energy conservation might be more intrusive and disruptive than it actually was. As our program was relatively new, we did not have the results to demonstrate the impact of our work when we began. However, we saw this as an opportunity to learn more about the specific habits and concerns of the teachers. We used their feedback to help improve how we convey our message. We emphasized that our objective was not to make drastic changes but to collaborate with them to achieve energy efficiency and sustainability goals.
Over time, we refined our communication strategies and gathered more data on the positive impact of our efforts. Using this approach, we observed a shift in attitudes. The initial skepticism gradually transformed into acceptance and even optimism. Ultimately, that pushback helped us adapt accordingly and was an essential part of the process. It taught me the importance of effective communication, empathy, and patience when introducing new ideas to a community that may be resistant to change.
What were some of the skills that you developed during your internship that you think will be valuable in your future?
Communication was the foremost skill that I developed during the internship. An important part of the internship was collecting data and transcribing it in a way accessible to people outside of energy conservation. Energy-related fields are often laden with complex terminology and acronyms that can be confusing. Through my internship, I worked with diverse groups of people and learned about the language that most resonates with them and helps illustrate our impact.
Another significant aspect of my internship was understanding the relationship between energy and savings, especially in the context of shifting behaviors and practices. I came to appreciate how changes in energy usage could directly affect financial outcomes. This knowledge is particularly relevant as I transition into engineering because it’s not just fellow engineers I will collaborate with; I will interact with professionals from various backgrounds and industries. Communication will also be crucial for my career in civil engineering as I will be working in teams across different industries. I thank CAPS for helping give me a jump-start on developing my communications skills.
Ariana stands in front of a solar array.
What do you want to do after you graduate with your civil engineering degree?
I haven’t decided on a specific path after graduating, but it will involve developing more energy-efficient construction. This involves designing and constructing buildings with a keen emphasis on minimizing energy consumption both during the construction phase and throughout the building’s lifespan.
The other thing that I’ve been interested in is adaptive reuse, which involves renovating existing buildings to make them more energy-efficient and sustainable. This approach resonates with me because it allows us to breathe new life into older structures and reduce the need for new construction, which can be resource-intensive.
A particularly intriguing aspect of sustainable construction I’ve been exploring is the concept of Zero Energy housing. These structures produce all the energy they consume on-site through renewable sources such as solar panels. I’m drawn to the idea of working on projects that can serve as models for sustainable living, especially in underserved communities like my own, where access to energy-efficient upgrades and appliances may be limited.
How do the effects of climate change impact your local community in California?
Something that brought the reality of climate change home for me was the large wildfire that occurred during my last year with CAPS. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a wildfire engulfed the mountains to the north and spread to our town and the entire valley. The skies turned gray, and the ash settled on our cars. It was an eerie and unsettling experience that made going outside feel scary.
The shape of the valley also made it difficult for contaminants to disperse, trapping pollutants in the air. This incident made me think about how many other pollutants we might be exposed to regularly that are not as visibly apparent as the wildfire’s smoke and ash. The fires also led to a drop in our levels of solar production. The contaminants in the air blocked the sun and settled on our solar panels, making them less efficient.
My involvement with CAPS and our work in studying these environmental issues helped me become more proactive and informed about the changes happening in our environment due to climate change. It provided me with a platform to implement positive changes and work toward a better future. It’s this firsthand experience that motivated me to consider a career in sustainable construction and to continue my efforts to address climate change.
What’s something from your internship that stuck out to you? Was there something that felt particularly meaningful in demonstrating the impact of your work promoting sustainability?
Something that stood out to me was the opportunity to engage with PUSD school board members and various stakeholders to discuss the impact of our work. It was great to get people’s reactions to the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and how it influenced a broader scale by contributing to substantial cost savings. Getting to see the impact of our work in numbers is something that I still feel proud to brag about.