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By Esther Odeyemi, Justice and Legal Thought College Park Scholar
This internship taught me the importance of amplifying students' voices to demand change.
This semester, I was granted the opportunity to intern at MaryPIRG. This organization strives to create a better and sustainable future for all by providing training and resources to address climate change, feed the hungry, protect the public health of students, and strengthen our democracy. This internship taught me the importance of amplifying students' voices to demand change. Our supervisor would always stress the need to recruit more students as volunteers, educate them on the confronting issues, and spread awareness. She expressed how our generation is equipped with the tools and resources necessary to change the world. Initially, I didn't think much of it until I witnessed some of the accomplishments we had this semester. We were able to gain support from our bill sponsor, Delegate Jared Solomon to host a rally for the “Future Act”, which is a bill written by students in MaryPIRG to ensure a greener future. Although the act did not pass, it had laid the groundwork for improvement. Recently, we’ve received an announcement from President Pines which declared the acceleration of the “Climate Action Plan.” This plan will push the University of Maryland to become a Net-Zero Carbon Neutral Campus by 2025. In addition to this, the support from the Zero Hunger Campaign, SwipeoutHunger, and other UMD leaders led to the passing of the Hunger-Free Campus Bill, which sends funding to public colleges that are addressing student hunger on campus. As a result of these victories, I can see how having a strong, unified voice led to making goals a reality.