VCU news

Carlisle Wilkinson, intern, Office of Sustainability

Wilkinson, an urban and regional studies major in the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs, participated in the Student Summit at the recent Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education Conference.

During her two years with the Office of Sustainability, Wilkinson has assisted with the Learning Gardens program, community events, social media, the Eco Village living learning community and staff research assistance.

The summit was held Sunday, Oct. 9 in Baltimore, ahead of the main conference. Wilkinson connected with other young people in the field who “have similar passions. We’re very professional and we’re just doing the coolest things.”

“I think the biggest takeaway was being able to be with a group of people and not have to explain what I like or why I like it, or where I’m coming from, because almost everybody worked for their university office of sustainability. I’m so used to having to explain what that is,” Wilkinson said.

Virginia Commonwealth University was a top-tier sponsor of the conference.

“I went in there with a plan of what I wanted to learn,” Wilkinson said. That included attending a session on zero-waste and a session on toxic masculinity within the context of community volunteerism.

“That one really stuck out,” Wilkinson said. “It requires some further inquiry afterward.”

Wilkinson, who graduates in December, reflected on the frequent conference theme of “leading others to lead.”

“As a senior at the university, how do you have that continue on after you leave?” she said. Wilkinson hopes to provide resources for younger students to find their passions, including exploring chapters of student groups she learned about at the conference.