Before becoming an Atlas Corps Fellow, I always dared to challenge myself to do something spontaneous, to learn something new or to belong to some community who share my ideologies. The latter came through; Atlas Corps! From a background of Economics and Public health, I was offered an opportunity to serve at a Renewables & Environment organization called Solstice. I had always been an advocate for saving the environment, but I had never been directly involved in the field. It was time for me to test the depth of the water with both feet. So, I said yes.
A few weeks into my fellowship at my host organization. One of my colleagues had a project focused on getting views of employees about Solstice. He approached me to find out if I had any thoughts. Without facing the ceiling, I had one thought after the other and the following stood out.
Thoughts on my Host organization’s mission:
We are killing two birds with one stone; enabling people to save money while they contribute to Climate Change Mitigation. Does saving the environment get better than that? It’s called community solar. Being part of a team that is making that possible through innovations so that underserved communities can also benefit from the “community solar miracle” gives me a sense of purpose. Community solar is relatively new so it is not an easy “miracle” to sale, having everyone at the host organization that believes and is working hard in driving the mission forward challenges me to do more.
Thoughts on my first week at the Host organization.
The onboarding process was nothing like anything I had experienced before. It had this one on one freestyle (no agender, a walk in the park, coffee or a meal whatever the mood dictated) interaction with everyone and I think it is a very awesome way of getting up to speed with everyone. I got to know everyone in one week, it really saved me the trouble of mixing up names.
Thoughts on Work Environment and Culture
On top of being part of a team that gives room for everyone to significantly contribute to the shaping of the organization’s culture. Every Thursday is a work from home day. I will be suggesting this at my future organizations. It will not matter if I will get noes, but it will be worth the try.
I am really looking forward to experiencing more of what Solstice has to offer. Happy hours, Monthly social outings and many more.
