March 2023 is Students@Work℠ Month
March 9 & 10, 2023 -The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality is pleased to join schools and other workplaces across North Carolina for Students@Work℠ Month. This statewide career awareness effort is celebrating 13 years of offering thousands of public school students the chance to connect classroom learning with careers they may choose to explore in the future.
The 2023 Students@Work℠ initiative connects 270 businesses, organizations and agencies with approximately 25,500 students statewide. Throughout the month, students interact directly with representatives from various jobs and careers, take part in worksite visits or engage in learning activities to explore careers that may be of interest to them.
DEQ participated in the program by hosting the 7th grade students from Moore Square Magnet Middle School at the Green Square headquarters building in downtown Raleigh.
“DEQ is honored to continue our partnership with Students@Work℠ and share the diversity of careers in our department. We appreciate the enthusiasm of the students and teachers and enjoy providing them with activities and resources to support their studies in science and the environment,” notes DEQ Secretary Elizabeth S. Biser.
During their visit, students toured the building to learn about the sustainable features of the Green Square complex. They also received an introduction to the science used by employees of the department in activities led by educators from the DEQ Division of Air Quality and the DEQ Division of Energy, Land and Mineral Resources. Educators from the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences assisted their DEQ colleagues by providing an air quality activity that observed lichens growing on trees near the building.
The students finished out their days by participating in a career panel with DEQ employees, including Dr. Frannie Nilsen, an environmental toxicologist with the Secretary’s Office; Elliot Tardif, a meteorologist with the Division of Air Quality; Shelby White, a biologist with the Division of Marine Fisheries and Alyssa Wright, the Assistant General Counsel for the department.
Students@Work℠ is a joint initiative between the North Carolina Business Committee for Education (NCBE) and the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.
For more information about DEQ’s participation in Students@Work℠ Week, contact Lisa.Tolley@ncdenr.gov. For more information about NCBCE, visit ncbce.org.
About the North Carolina Business Committee for Education (NCBCE)
The North Carolina Business Committee for Education is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit comprised of business leaders from across the state. NCBCE’s mission focuses on ensuring that every student in North Carolina graduates from high school ready for life and work in a global society.
About the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality
The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is the lead stewardship agency for the protection of North Carolina's environmental resources. The organization, which has offices from the mountains to the coast, administers regulatory programs designed to protect air quality, water quality, and the public's health, and also works to advance an all-of-the-above energy strategy that fits North Carolina’s needs. DEQ also offers technical assistance to businesses, farmers, local governments, and the public and encourages responsible behavior with respect to the environment through education programs provided at DEQ facilities and through the state's school system.
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