I came to ICCR with the goal of gaining hands-on corporate social responsibility (CSR) and socially responsible investment (SRI) experience, and to expand my knowledge related to these fields. I developed my interests in them when I was a student and wanted to work in the field as a young professional. However, most of the instruction I’d received back in school was very theoretical. Coming to ICCR and assisting with projects in CSR and SRI has helped me to gain experience in the real world, which is a meaningful treasure for me as I advance to become a professional.

At ICCR, I worked for Christina Herman, ICCR’s program director for climate change and environmental justice. More specifically, I developed 2017 engagement companies lists in the sector of utilities, Top 15 scope 1 & scope 2 heavy emitters, and other priorities in industries, materials, consumer staples, consumer discretionary, health care, telecommunications services, and information technology. These company lists will help drive ICCR’s strategic 2017 climate change engagements with companies to address the adoption of science-based target goals, greenhouse gas emission reduction, and production of renewable energy. ICCR members will use these lists to track their corporate engagements and assist with their shareholder resolutions and dialogues with companies.

Before interning at ICCR, I had a general understanding that the mission of CSR and SRI is to encourage organizations to address social and environmental issues that adversely affect society and the environment over the long term. However, besides knowing the importance of sustainability reports for companies to investors, before my internship I did not understand precisely how the “value chain” of CSR and SRI works, but working for ICCR helped me connect all the points along this value chain and expanded my understanding of this field. As I advance to become a CSR and SRI analyst, my intern experience at ICCR will always be a great memory.

My supervisor has been very supportive of my internship work. I was always invited to ask questions and share my thoughts. My interaction with my supervisor is a mixture of mentorship and teamwork. My supervisor is super knowledgeable about what she is doing and always reachable as I am learning things from her along the way. Meanwhile, since I work very closely with my supervisor, a lot of times, I feel we are teammates. Additionally, all the other staff members at ICCR are very supportive. They always try to fulfill my goals and create new opportunities for me to gain as much experience as I can. This intern experience has meant a lot to me, and it is also a great place to network with professionals and experts in this field. I sincerely appreciate the internship opportunity, all the staff members, and the organization. Personally, I found ICCR to be passionate and dedicated people, making a positive and meaningful social change. I hope to bring this spirit to my first real job in the near future.