Elizabeth Guillen’s dual degree and minor served a specific purpose — she wanted to know more about environmental politics. “The problem with all of our environmental issues is the lack of representation of real scientists in politics. No one is doing this and that is an issue [because] there will be no one representing all our environmental issues,” says the graduate. 

Through this degree, she interned for Senator Jackie Rosen, a member of the US Senate from Nevada. In her last semester, Guillen was a Government Relations and Community Engagement Intern at the university.

That’s not all. Guillen won the Golden Pinecone Awards for her prior work as the Director of Sustainability for the Associated Students of the University of Nevada. It recognises the progress that she made with the EdPASS campaign, a service that allows anyone with a Wolfcard to ride the Regional Transportation Commission buses anywhere in Washoe County for free.

Elizabeth Guillen

Bachelor's degree in forest ecology and management graduate (minor in political science)

“It was just a lot of fun because no one in my major was doing political work and no one in political work had the background knowledge that I had,” she says.