For me, one of the most memorable experiences was a trip to an area of Israel that I thought I was familiar with - the sea cliffs of Herzliya.
I lived in Herzliya at the time (the field trip was literally in my backyard), so when Hudi (Prof. Yehuda Benayahu, the Program Head) told us that that's where we'd be visiting, I laughed! However, I learned more about the marine ecosystem, the beautiful Karkur cliffs, and the often unanticipated implications of construction close to marine environments than I had expected. The experience gave me a new view of my own backyard and educated me on the importance of preservation in the face of urban development.
Another experience that stood out was participating in Dr. Vered Blass's class. She taught corporate social responsibility and sustainability in business, which opened my eyes to the professional career I envisioned for myself when I initially decided on this program. Her lessons fascinated me and Vered helped me land an internship with one of the leading CSR consultants in Israel, which ultimately helped me land my current job.
As Israel's sustainability and environmental fields are developing, I was aware that finding the perfect job for me in these fields might take time. I briefly considered going back to the States or looking for jobs abroad, but my love for Israel caused me to take a closer look at the local ecosystem to see what I could contribute. I was aware that I might need to use my existing skills (which, at the time, were in journalism and marketing) for a while before finding an opportunity to put what I learned at TAU into practice.
My goal going into the program was to become an environmental and sustainability consultant for businesses and my experiences in this program only strengthened this aspiration. I believed, and still do, that real sustainability action can occur only when a business is on board and geared towards making a change, so I wanted to play a role in making that happen.
When I graduated, I envisioned establishing a startup or company that provides environmental solutions for the consumer society. In general, our lives are comfortable, and we have access to most everything that we need, so to me, it only makes sense that we should start thinking about ways that we can also give back to the environment and society in the process. If we don't make this change, progress will remain stagnated. This is still something that I'm working towards and will be happy to share more information on the venture once it's more developed