Wednesday, July 29, 2026
By: Caroline Kwara
University of Florida Design, Construction and Planning (DCP) student Hannah Parsley is pursuing her passion for sustainability and environmental wellness by interning at the Community Weatherization Coalition (CWC) in Gainesville, Florida, this summer.
The CWC focuses on helping the community save energy and water in order to reduce utility bills.
At the CWC, Parsley works on “restocking and organizing equipment kits used to perform energy tune-ups for Alachua residents, designing graphics for social media promotion and outreach flyers and logging data for clients that have been or will be given a tune-up.”
The most difficult part of the internship for her has been the learning curve in taking on unfamiliar tasks. But tackling these challenges has been extremely rewarding for her. It has also been rewarding for her boss.
“Hannah has been a fantastic intern this summer,” CWC Energy Tune-up Technician Katie Greenshaw said. “She is driven, empathetic and makes a difference. She has helped us plow through a backlog of tasks. She was also given creative reign to develop new informational and outreach materials to help further our reach!”
Parsley is on track to graduate in 2028 with a Bachelor of Science in Sustainability and the Built Environment. Her time at DCP has prepared her for the work she does at the CWC.
“The College of Design, Construction and Planning has thus far equipped me with incredible, fulfilling connections, with delightful and driven people sharing the same aspirations of contributing toward environmental wellness through responsible infrastructuring decisions. Moreover, my own love for the latter has been propelled forward in ways I didn’t think possible.”
After graduation, Parsley plans to work as an environmental design consultant or complete a master’s degree in Landscape Architecture or Integrated Sustainable Development. At UF, Parsley is a part of the Gator Diplomats and the UF Green Building Club.
Parsley enjoys interacting with Gainesville locals in meaningful ways throughout her internship. By connecting with individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds, Parsley was able to learn new ways to “extend compassion and seek understanding in ways that weren’t quite possible before.”
These opportunities alone have made the whole experience worth it.
“They’re the types of interactions that encourage reflection and, ultimately, gratitude for the diversity of the human experience.”
Parsley will carry what she learned from this internship as she returns to campus this fall and throughout her career.
“This internship opportunity with the CWC will continue to expand my overall understanding of what sustainability can look like in a practically applied context. From developing adaptive problem-solving abilities to connecting with people from all corners of Alachua County, each new and improved skill will be able to be applied in and translated to educational settings (like DCP) moving forward.”
Parsley’s time at DCP so far has been fulfilling. One of her favorite memories was working with her fellow Construction Drawing students in the studio on their portfolio projects.
Her favorite class was Sustainable Architecture with Dr. Vandana Baweja. It was engaging and thought-provoking, and it covered a huge collection of sustainable architecture applications. Parsley considers herself better off taking this class.
In the future, Parsley strives to join the network of DCP alumni across the globe, but for now, she is focused on learning all that she can.
Parsley advises potential DCP students to “be prepared to learn about your educational pursuit from every angle possible. Even if it seems like a course might be redundant or nothing more than a step closer to graduating, there will always be something to take away from it that can be useful in your career endeavors.”
