Humans of Duke Sanford - Humans of Duke Sanford

Myra: We worked at the same company in helping homeowners go solar.

Raffi: I was there first and when Myra came to interview, I said, “Wow I really like that interviewee…” (laughter) After the two-week training period, we were walking to the train station after dark, about to go to separate trains, and I said, “Hey we work together but I really like you and we should go out.” Myra: I said, “Is that allowed?” (laughter)

M: I was always interested in the environment. I grew up in Vermont. In college I interned with Bernie Sanders. He was on energy and environment committees and I would go to the hearings and it was inspiring. I also went to Israel, and saw what they were doing with green tech, and using desalination to address water scarcity.

R: I had done and when I applied for the solar job, and learned more about it, suddenly everything I was interested in came together and I said, “This is my dream job.”

Later, I left to ride my bike across the US, I was thinking about next steps. I knew I wanted to go back to school, and Myra did too. We both wanted to do similar programs, and we both got in here, and everything fell into place.

M: I love the community here, it’s all about friendship. Every Duke graduate school has an intramural soccer team, and in the Fall season we lost almost every game. The last game 15-20 people from Sanford came to cheer the team on. It was amazing. It was cold, it was fall. They made signs. It’s magical, knowing the people who are working hard with you late at night, they take time to celebrate with you too.

R: My highlight is my masters project. I am working with several organizations trying to launch a clean energy financing initiative in North Carolina. This could be a big deal for the state and could help N.C. meet its clean energy goals. I’d never have an opportunity to do something like this without coming here to Duke. I am able to get in on the ground floor, I can be a part of something that’s not just “schoolwork,” it’s “real work” and I am grateful for that.

Myra Parsonnet MPP’21 and Raffi Wineburg, MPP’21 are producing a live podcast event Monday. in bio

Myra: We worked at the same company in #Boston helping homeowners go solar.

Raffi: I was there first and when Myra came to interview, I said, “Wow I really like that interviewee…” (laughter) After the two-week training period, we were walking to the train station after dark, about to go to separate trains, and I said, “Hey we work together but I really like you and we should go out.” Myra: I said, “Is that allowed?” (laughter)

M: I was always interested in the environment. I grew up in Vermont. In college I interned with Bernie Sanders. He was on energy and environment committees and I would go to the hearings and it was inspiring. I also went to Israel, and saw what they were doing with green tech, and using desalination to address water scarcity.

R: I had done #AmeriCorps and when I applied for the solar job, and learned more about it, suddenly everything I was interested in came together and I said, “This is my dream job.”

Later, I left to ride my bike across the US, I was thinking about next steps. I knew I wanted to go back to school, and Myra did too. We both wanted to do similar programs, and we both got in here, and everything fell into place.

M: I love the community here, it’s all about friendship. Every Duke graduate school has an intramural soccer team, and in the Fall season we lost almost every game. The last game 15-20 people from Sanford came to cheer the team on. It was amazing. It was cold, it was fall. They made signs. It’s magical, knowing the people who are working hard with you late at night, they take time to celebrate with you too.

R: My highlight is my masters project. I am working with several organizations trying to launch a clean energy financing initiative in North Carolina. This could be a big deal for the state and could help N.C. meet its clean energy goals. I’d never have an opportunity to do something like this without coming here to Duke. I am able to get in on the ground floor, I can be a part of something that’s not just “schoolwork,” it’s “real work” and I am grateful for that.

Myra Parsonnet MPP’21 and Raffi Wineburg, MPP’21 are producing a live podcast event Monday. in bio #mpp #humansofdukesanford