This summer, Kelly Lahvic joins the GreenBlue team as a summer intern. Kelly comes to GreenBlue as a recent graduate of the University of Virginia. Learn more about Kelly in the interview below.
Tell us about your background
I’m from Richmond, Virginia, where my family has lived for over 20 years. About a week ago, I graduated from the University of Virginia with a B.S. in Environmental Sciences and a minor in Global Sustainability. I originally wanted to study engineering, but a class on living simply and sustainably that I took during my first year of college shifted my focus to environmental science.
Why were you interested in working with GreenBlue?
Over the past few months I had interviewed for multiple jobs, and GreenBlue was a company that was different from the rest both on paper and in person. As a small non-profit, GreenBlue was a refreshing change of pace from the typical huge company looking to hire an entry-level college graduate to make copies and take coffee orders. I could tell that GreenBlue practiced what they preached. In fact, the day I interviewed, I wasn’t even sure if the office was open since there were few lights on in the building, as most of the lighting comes from natural light through the windows.
What are you looking forward to in your internship?
I’m looking forward to having an internship where I am able to stay busy with valuable tasks. I am also looking forward to learning a lot throughout the whole process. I’ve only been here for a few days so far and I’ve already learned more about packaging and recycling than I thought possible. All of the work that I’m doing is encouraging me to dig deeper and discover as much as I can about sustainable packaging outside of what I might learn at this internship.
What are your first impressions?
My first impression of GreenBlue came from the employees that work here. Everyone here has been warm, welcoming, and they are all genuinely motivated by what they are working towards with GreenBlue. As I stated before, this is a work environment filled with recycling bins and minimal energy usage; it’s obvious that everyone here cares about sustaining the environment.
Fun facts about yourself?
My parents own a bread company in Richmond, so I will never go hungry! As a result of growing up with a bakery family, I have always loved cooking and baking.
When I was younger my grandparents had a pool, so I learned to swim when I was three years old and have loved doing so ever since. I had a brief moment in the spotlight with one swimming state record, but a fellow teammate beat it in less than a year.
