Michael Werner ’07 Experiences Environmental Consulting

In a five-day externship Michael Werner ’07 (Neenah, Wisc.) saw first-hand how an environmental consulting firm works with clients to curb pollution and meet federal guidelines.

Werner, who is pursuing a bachelor of science in biology and a bachelor of arts with a major in geology, shadowed Joseph Heaney ’85, principal of Walden Associates, Oyster Bay, N.Y. He was among more than 275 Lafayette students who gained first-hand knowledge of the professional world during January’s interim session by shadowing alumni and other experienced professionals in business, the arts, education, healthcare, law, engineering, science, government, non-profits, and other fields. The students observed work practices, learned about careers they may consider entering after college, and developed professional networking contacts.

Walden Associates has provided consulting services to industrial clients, law firms, insurance companies, financial institutions, and municipal and government agencies throughout the New York/New Jersey/Connecticut tri-state area for several years and. more recently, in greater Philadelphia.

It didn’t take Werner long to get his hands dirty, so to speak.

“I was able to actually be in the field for some of the company’s work, appraising and assessing a property,” he says. “That was definitely the highlight of my externship. I think it’s very valuable to be able to be out in the field interacting with employees and seeing exactly what their jobs entail.”

Heaney, a big advocate of the externship program, agrees with Werner. “Externships give students an opportunity to really see what goes on in a particular field or a particular job. I think more alumni should offer to be externship hosts.”

Werner shadowed other employees at Walden Associates as well, getting a well-rounded idea of the company.

“It was interesting to see the work that went into the projects I was able to observe,” he says. “The employees worked with a business owner to assess the situation on a property. The one I was able to see had carbon containments and they were working to get them out of the ground with a vacuum.”

Werner was inquisitive and worked hard, Heaney says: “He definitely knew the right questions to ask and was interested in what he was doing.”

Werner says he’s not 100 percent sure of his career path, he knows his time at Walden will be beneficial to his career plans.

“I think I may want to go into the environmental field, and the externship definitely gave me a taste of what life would be like in that arena,” he says. “I don’t think you know what job is right for you until you have a chance to follow someone around in that field path.”

The vice president of LEAP, Lafayette Environmental Awareness and Protection, Werner is a member of the College’s brass and jazz ensembles and crew team.