Green Teams Alumna Yvette Viasus ’20 is Mapping a Brighter Future
The PSEG Institute for Sustainability Studies Green Teams internship prepared Yvette Viasus ’20 to advocate for broad access to renewable energy and launched her career trajectory.
Posted in: Green Teams
As early as high school, Yvette Viasus ’20 was mastering the basics of computers and science. Even then, however, she was looking at the bigger picture.
“My twin sister had already decided to go to Montclair,” she recalls. “At the time, I was getting ready to take a gap year after high school. But when I joined her for a campus visit, I changed my plans.”
Although Viasus had originally considered studying international business, her passion for the environment led her to the University’s programs in sustainability science and geography. She chose a concentration in urban studies and became fascinated with geographic information system (GIS) mapping.
“Data has a deeper application when you are able to observe its geographic references,” Viasus explains. “Whether you are tracking pollution or the spread of disease, GIS mapping provides context that supports efforts to create a solution.”
The PSEG Institute for Sustainability Studies (PSEG ISS) Green Teams internship program provided Viasus with the platform she needed to fully experience the application of sustainability science and impact of GIS mapping in driving business decisions.