Title: Planet Blue Ambassador & Graham Sustainability Institute Intern: New Student Orientation, Engagement, and Strategic Communications

A 1-page cover letter describing your interest in the role and any relevant experience is required to be considered for this position. The Graham Sustainability Institute seeks a highly motivated, collaborative student to serve in a split role that combines Planet Blue Ambassador (PBA) program support with strategic communications and marketing assistance for the Graham Sustainability Institute. This full-time summer position is designed to flex across responsibilities week to week, with effort divided between new student engagement and sustainability programming on one side and communications and outreach on the other. 

The Planet Blue Ambassador (PBA) program educates students, staff, and faculty members about sustainability initiatives at the University of Michigan and inspires them to get engaged and lead through personal action. One of the program’s many activities is coordinating Planet Blue’s presence at New Student Orientation and other summer sustainability events and programs. The individual selected for this role will be involved in all aspects of planning, implementing, and assessing Planet Blue’s engagement of new students through these activities in 2026 as well as supporting the broader work of the Planet Blue Ambassador program. 

At the same time, the student will serve as a communications intern for the Graham Sustainability Institute, working closely with the institute’s communications staff to produce, publish, and manage content; support one-off communications and marketing projects; assist with events; and help tell the story of Graham’s work through digital and written channels.

This dual-role is ideal for a student who enjoys public-facing sustainability engagement, writing and storytelling, project-based work, and working across teams. The position is expected to be primarily in person during peak New Student Orientation periods, with some flexibility for remote work during the communications portion of the role, to be determined with supervisors

Responsibilities:

• Educate and answer questions from new students about sustainability at all New Student Orientation tabling events (20-30 days in July and August from 7:45am-9am, including the following Saturdays: July 11, August 1, August 29).
• Lead and support PBA summer programming including Summer Bridge Scholars workshops and PBA events.
• Staff additional orientation tabling events and programs such as Festifall, Go North Block Party, and other events specific to various schools, colleges, and identities, primarily in August and the first week of September. 
• Assist in compiling outreach materials and mailing lists for campus groups and departments about sustainability resources.
• Develop and lead 1 to 3 smaller-scale sustainability events during Welcome, such as a nature walk through the Arb or a sustainability workshop.
• Maintain and track metrics and data related to PBA programming.
• Write and create content for social media, the website, and email, including short research summaries and stories about Graham’s work.
• Help plan and schedule content by keeping a social media calendar, using scheduling tools, and coordinating posts with other communications and marketing efforts.
• Build and send marketing emails in Mailchimp and help assemble content for web pages, newsletters, and other digital materials.
• Help improve communications by checking content for accuracy and clarity, tracking how social media performs, and helping gather missing information from Graham staff.
• Provide general communications and project support, including helping with event coverage, responding to requests that come into the communications team, updating the website, doing basic research, and assisting with one-off projects as needed.
• Additional tasks as needed.

Hours: 35-40 hours per week over the summer, with possible option to continue 8-10 hours per week during the Fall Term, dependent upon summer performance review and supervisor approval.

Desired Skills/Traits:

• Enthusiastic about public speaking and engaging with new people, especially in tabling settings. 
• Experience connecting with peers across different backgrounds and knowledge levels to communicate educational messages.
• Basic understanding of sustainability best practices and the links between sustainability, well-being, and equity.
• Consistently professional with regard to communication, punctuality, and reliability.
• Excitement to learn and try new things and ability to ask for help proactively.
• Familiarity with Canvas and Canva.
• Planet Blue Ambassador strongly preferred.
• Strong writing, editing, spelling, punctuation, and grammar skills.
• Good eye for design and visual storytelling.
• Careful attention to detail and precise execution.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and meet deadlines working with multiple supervisors.
• Interest in or experience with social media, digital content, or email communications.