Anna Lange

UNC Asheville alumna Anna Lange recently was awarded an internship with the national environmental group Green Corps. Lange was one of some 25 candidates selected from more than 2,000 applicants from across the nation for the organization's highly competitive year-long environmental leadership training program.

The Green Corps program consists of eight weeks of classes taught by leaders in the environmental sector. After training, students spread out across the country, working on various campaigns ranging from reducing waste in restaurants to protecting fish stocks near the coast. The nonprofit, which was founded in 1992 as a graduate school for environmental organizers, helps participants secure high-level positions with the industry's leading companies.

Lange, 22, of Asheville, graduated from UNC Asheville in 2007 with a degree in environmental policy and management. She said her time spent at the University fully prepared her for this position.

"Environmental advocacy is what I did the majority of my time at UNC Asheville," Lange said. "I worked on it 20, 25, even 30 hours a week because I really enjoyed it and I really couldn't get enough. The experience I had at UNC Asheville completely prepared me for this."

Lange also participated in numerous leadership activities while at UNC Asheville. She first got her taste for environmental advocacy working in student government as executive for sustainability affairs before becoming vice president of the student body. Lange was also instrumental in the establishment of the University's Student Environmental Center, of which she served as director.

Lange received inspiration from a number or sources at the University. She cited Associate Professor of Environmental Studies Dee Eggers as helping stoke her interest in environmental work, while Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Bill Haggard provided key motivation in applying for Green Corps.

"Anna is a strong, quiet and ethical leader who is intrinsically motivated to make positive change in the world. I am confident that she will," Haggard said.

The small size of the University provided Lange with a training ground for making positive changes in the community and on a larger scale.

"If you chose to really get involved, it's really easy to build your own community and really feel a sense of place at UNC Asheville," Lange said. "To have access to the faculty and administration to be able to throw ideas around is a quality that is unique to UNC Asheville. They are truly here for the students."

Lange begins the Green Corps internship on August 1. She said that while she will miss Asheville, she is excited about seeing the country and experiencing new things.

"The people I am going to meet and the networks I am going to establish are going to be absolutely priceless," she said.