Boulder County Office of Sustainability, Climate Action, and Resiliency Fellowship

This fellowship came to life after I helped organize a panel for the CU Conference on World Affairs that featured Governor Polis and OSCAR Director Susie Strife. That moment cracked open a door—and next thing I knew, I was brought into the Boulder County climate office for a year-long fellowship, with a simple but powerful invitation: “Bring your full MikeyJ energy to the work.”

So that’s exactly what I did. From day one, I focused on building real relationships with the team and gravitating toward projects that felt aligned with my passions. I helped design and launch the Climate Policy Action Leadership (CPAL) program—an initiative aimed at empowering young people to understand and influence climate policy in their communities. That work let me stretch into leadership, facilitation, and systems thinking in a hands-on way, all while holding space for voices that too often get left out of climate conversations.

I also dove deep into regenerative agriculture work, supporting county efforts to build trust with local land stewards and co-create incentive programs that honor both ecological healing and economic realities. The experience pushed me to think differently about how we fund and support long-term climate solutions, and taught me a lot about public service that listens first, then acts.

There were a lot of other smaller wins along the way—but those two projects especially lit the fire that led me to pursue my master’s in Environmental Policy. This fellowship wasn’t just a resume booster—it was a turning point in realizing how much change is possible when you combine heart, strategy, and creativity in the spaces where decisions are made.