What went well?
The progress I made; what was achieved and done
This week was my final week at WRI so it was all about finish up my remaining projects, getting them into a presentable format, and then delivering those insights to the team.
What could have been done differently?
Things that did not get done and/or could be changed
After hearing the feedback from the team, I realized so many areas where I definitely could have improved my research and offered more targeted insights. I think that this is all part of the learning process though.
What did I learn about myself when working with others?
Contributions, behaviours and values I exhibited
I think overall during my time working with WRI and on my three projects, I learned a lot about how non-profits operate which is valuable information as well as the kind of skills and focus I need to work independently on projects. I learned about the importance of asking good questions (and knowing when to do research on my end before asking a question). I also gained valuable experience from actually presenting my results to the team. If I could go back and change things, I definitely would, but in all, it proves valuable in the long-term!
What did I learn about leadership?
Leadership attributes and insights I developed
On a more general level, I learned about the importance of cultural difference in impact investing and entrepreneurship. Meeting entrepreneurs where they are is incredibly important for earning trust and actually being able to make an impact – not only financially but capacity-building wise.
What do I want to develop or focus on next?
What I still need to develop
This was my final week!
I'm Alannah Nathan, a Senior in Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service, pursuing a degree in Global Business with a minor in French. My research outside of class work focuses primarily on the energy transition from an economic and environmental perspective.
My 2022 Laidlaw Undergraduate Research project seeks to evaluate how three Oil and Gas Majors – Eni, Total Energies, and ConocoPhillips – position themselves in the energy transition, with a focus on a possible discrepancy between how the Majors talk about the energy transition in annual reports and what commitments they plan to make (example: Net-Zero by 2050) as well as where they spend their money.
My 2023 Leadership-in-Action project is work with the World Resources Institute (WRI) within the Forest Program. I will be supporting two key programs: the Land Accelerator and TerraFund. WRI’s Land Accelerator program is aimed at supporting entrepreneurs based in Africa restore degraded soil through for-profit business models. The program provides capacity building for the entrepreneurs with trainings in pitching, financials, business development and more. I will be helping run these trainings and providing assistance as needed to ensure quality results from the program. I will also be assisting with TerraFund which provides loans for entrepreneurs restoring degrading land (including some of the LA alumni).
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