Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy (WRISE) and GRID Alternatives announce winners of solar fellowship

September 10, 2019 • Recent Press Releases
Six Rising Women SPI Fellows selected to attend this year’s Solar Power International for networking and career development as part of both organizations’ workforce diversity efforts  

Brooklyn, NY —WRISE and GRID Alternatives today announced their selection of six women for the 2019 Rising Women SPI Fellowship. The fellowship is an opportunity for women from diverse backgrounds who are interested in solar careers to visit Solar Power International (SPI) for networking, mentorship and solar education. Part of GRID and WRISE’s workforce diversity initiatives, the program is aimed at women training for careers in installation and design as well as college and graduate students studying renewable energy and related fields.

2019 Rising Women SPI Fellows:

  • Aashna Aggarwal, Duke University 
  • Stephanie Eyocko, The Johns Hopkins University
  • Jessica Hamilton, Solar Works DC
  • Madeline Harvey, New Hampshire Technical Institute
  • Brandy Hyatt, Mills College
  • Jennifer Liu, University of California, Berkeley

“The urgency of the climate crisis and the challenges in front of us now require a renewable energy workforce that represents a wide variety of minds, perspectives, talents, and backgrounds,” said WRISE Executive Director, Kristen Graf.  “I am so impressed by our group of fellows this year and all that they are already doing to be a part of the solutions.  I’m thankful for our partnership with GRID Alternatives and for all of our sponsors that make it possible for us to bring these amazing women to SPI to showcase their accomplishments and recognize the additional potential they hold.”

WRISE and GRID will publicly recognize the fellows during the conference at a reception taking place Wednesday, September 25.

“These talented and motivated women represent the future of the solar industry,” said Erika Symmonds, Vice President of Workforce Development and Service-Learning at GRID Alternatives. “We encourage the SPI community to join us in welcoming them.”

About Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy:
WRISE was founded in 2005 and works to promote the education, professional development, and advancement of women to achieve a strong diversified workforce and support a robust renewable energy economy. Since that time, WRISE has grown to an organization with local chapters in the US and Canada; national programming that includes activities at renewable trade shows across the country, the Leadership Forum, Take Charge Workshops, mentoring, professional development and webinar series; and a growing grassroots network of nearly 10,000 women and men.

About GRID Alternatives:
GRID Alternatives is a national leader in making clean, renewable energy accessible to low income communities and communities of color. Using a unique, people-first model, GRID develops and implements renewable energy projects that serve qualifying households and affordable housing providers, while providing hands-on job training. GRID has installed solar for more than 11,000 families to-date, helped households and housing providers save $327 million in lifetime electricity costs, and trained nearly 38,000 people. GRID Alternatives has nine regional offices and affiliates serving California, Colorado, the mid-Atlantic region, and Tribal communities nationwide, and serves communities in Nicaragua, Nepal and Mexico. For more information, visit www.gridalternatives.org.

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