Introducing Ari

Hello! I’m Ari, a Senior from The Bronx in New York City. Despite having grown up in a big city, I’m a big fan of the outdoors. I like hiking, camping, climbing, and spending time at the beach. I also enjoy working with kids. In the past, I’ve worked at sports camps, taught chess, and tutored.

At Oxy, I am studying Physics with a concentration in Renewable Energy. I’m also minoring in Economics. Academically, I am fascinated by working with data and numbers to find creative solutions to problems that the world faces. My goal for post-grad is taking the skills I’ve learned in both departments and applying them to a climate-tech or renewable energy development problem.

In this course, I am most interested in seeing how the largest economy in the E.U. (Germany) has approached sustainability for not only their own country but also acting as a leader for the rest of Western Europe. I’m excited to learn from people in politics and engineering teams to see how the intersection of the two has laid the groundwork for significant progress in the energy transition.

Once we arrive in Germany, I am most excited to see how the overall attitudes towards climate change compare and contrast to the US. Different countries have different issues plaguing them and I am very interested in seeing firsthand how they are handled in Germany.

I am excited to visit the wind turbine plant. I’ve worked on developing both solar and wind projects but never gotten to see and learn hands on what goes into the construction of a turbine. I’m sure my geeky physics self will come out during that part of the trip.

Overall, I am stoked to have this opportunity to get an introductory crash course to the German language and culture as well as a focus in renewable energy. It’s right up my alley.