Carolyn Bido alum profile
Shifting Gears to a Career in Sustainable Transportation
SES Alum Carolyn Bidó Helps Facilitate the Transition to Electric Vehicles
After starting her career in veterinary medicine, Carolyn Bidó enrolled in the graduate program at Loyola's School of Environmental Sustainability to shift into the environmental field. She earned her master's degree in environmental science and sustainability in 2023, and today, she works to facilitate the transition to electric vehicles as a policy associate at the Electrification Coalition. She shared her thoughts on how her experience at Loyola helped her achieve her career goals.
The SES master's degree program gave Carolyn Bidó the knowledge and skills to make a career change and join the growing sustainability workforce.
Q: What is your hometown?
I was born and raised in Queens, New York City, but I also lived in Bonao, Dominican Republic, for some of my childhood, high school, and college.
Q: What drew you to Loyola and the School of Environmental Sustainability for your education?
I was in the process of a significant career pivot from veterinary medicine to an environmental and sustainability-focused field. I was considering embarking on conservation or business sustainability, and the SES graduate program seemed like a great place to figure this out with its numerous courses, extra-curricular activities, and networking opportunities. Loyola is also a well-connected school, and I was sure great relationships and opportunities would come from enrolling in the program.
Q: How has your career developed since graduating from Loyola?
My career took an extraordinary turn from what I initially envisioned. While I took no policy-focused classes at Loyola, I completed a fellowship through the Yale Environmental Fellows Program (EFP) at the National Wildlife Federation, focusing on water conservation policy. I also did an internship at the Environmental Law and Policy Center (ELPC), working on flood mitigation and resilience and sustainable transportation policy. I developed critical policy research and analysis skills and obtained hands-on experience engaging in different policy and political landscapes. Ultimately, I became very interested in policy and transportation electrification and applied for my current role as a policy associate at the Electrification Coalition (EC). My projects, relationships, and incredible mentorship from both professors at Loyola and supervisors at both organizations allowed me to prepare to immerse myself in my final career choice.
Q: What do you do in your current job?
As a policy associate, I conduct electric vehicle policy research and analysis to support and advance transportation electrification, focusing on federal, state, and local-level policies in the Midwest and Southeast. I address policy challenges through educational campaigns and coalition building. I also host and attend events to unite a network of stakeholders supporting national and energy security and decreasing the U.S.'s oil dependence. Two aspects of my job that I love most are the ability to work 100 percent remotely and working to transition dirty diesel school buses to electric school buses for a healthy, clean future for children and communities.
Q: How did your experience at Loyola prepare you for the career you chose to pursue?
Loyola provided great insight into the circular economy, environmental sustainability, and environmental justice, allowing me to narrow my potential career paths. The numerous professional development opportunities advertised through Loyola allowed me to apply what I had learned, develop new skills, and build a professional network that eventually shaped how I envisioned my career.
Q: What are some of the highlights from your time at Loyola?
Although my time at Loyola was short (two years), I achieved much more than I imagined. The SES student email bulletin was the most valuable resource for professional development opportunities. It's how I learned about the Yale fellowship and the ELPC internship. In addition, Loyola offered the Abrams Sustainable Business Challenge, which I like to think of as Shark Tank for students with fantastic environmental-friendly ideas. I competed for the Abrams Challenge in 2022, making it to the final round, and again in 2023, where my team achieved third place. Loyola also has numerous clubs. I joined the Food Recovery Network for a year and learned extensively about food waste, recovery, and repurposing. These ventures provided new skills, education, and a growing network of exemplary professionals and mentors who have guided and advocated for me to achieve my goals, allowing me to receive the honorary Hazel M. Johnson Award for Outstanding Graduate Student and helping carve my professional path.
Q: What do you find most interesting or meaningful about your current work?
I am fascinated by how policy-making moves the needle for all the significant changes and improvements we aim to see. For electric vehicles (EVs), the policy landscape is ever-changing as new innovative technologies emerge and as research shows why EVs are the ultimate solution to reduce transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions, address the resulting pollution in disadvantaged communities, and, ultimately, tackle the climate crisis. The world's dependence on oil is a massive problem, but the multiple avenues to transition to other renewable energy sources, like electricity, are eye-opening and bring the mindset of an all-hands-on-deck approach to this revolutionary shift. While I mainly focus on EVs from the national, energy, and economic security perspective, taking a non-partisan approach in policy advocacy, I still work with environmental-focused organizations, providing data on sustainable transportation's numerous environmental and public health benefits. On my end, I offer EV market and policy analysis data that complement our stakeholder's work. Ultimately, internal and external teamwork allows us to see policies pass and bring much-needed change.
Q: What advice would you give to current SES students or those considering pursuing a degree in the School of Environmental Sustainability?
I highly recommend enrolling in Loyola's School of Environmental Sustainability and taking advantage of its robust professional development opportunities, whether by joining a club, participating in research, or applying for external internships. Additionally, connect with your professors if you need guidance, tools, or resources as you explore potential career paths.
If you are contemplating transitioning to a new career, don't be afraid to go for it! Society makes us believe that we should figure out a career plan at 17 and 18 years old and stick to it for the rest of our lives. Humans evolve, and the 17- or 18-year-old version of yourself may not resemble the older you. Exploring new waters is okay, especially if your current career feels unfulfilling or makes you unhappy. Environmental and sustainability-focused work is indeed rewarding, whether in consulting, sustainable design, policy, or developing an app for a sustainable brand, among many other potential paths. Climate change anxiety is a reality, and changing our lifestyles is sometimes not enough to address it. A career pivot to a job saving the environment can bring the hope and clarity that many wish to feel and see.
Q: What is your hometown?
I was born and raised in Queens, New York City, but I also lived in Bonao, Dominican Republic, for some of my childhood, high school, and college.
Q: What drew you to Loyola and the School of Environmental Sustainability for your education?
I was in the process of a significant career pivot from veterinary medicine to an environmental and sustainability-focused field. I was considering embarking on conservation or business sustainability, and the SES graduate program seemed like a great place to figure this out with its numerous courses, extra-curricular activities, and networking opportunities. Loyola is also a well-connected school, and I was sure great relationships and opportunities would come from enrolling in the program.
Q: How has your career developed since graduating from Loyola?
My career took an extraordinary turn from what I initially envisioned. While I took no policy-focused classes at Loyola, I completed a fellowship through the Yale Environmental Fellows Program (EFP) at the National Wildlife Federation, focusing on water conservation policy. I also did an internship at the Environmental Law and Policy Center (ELPC), working on flood mitigation and resilience and sustainable transportation policy. I developed critical policy research and analysis skills and obtained hands-on experience engaging in different policy and political landscapes. Ultimately, I became very interested in policy and transportation electrification and applied for my current role as a policy associate at the Electrification Coalition (EC). My projects, relationships, and incredible mentorship from both professors at Loyola and supervisors at both organizations allowed me to prepare to immerse myself in my final career choice.
Q: What do you do in your current job?
As a policy associate, I conduct electric vehicle policy research and analysis to support and advance transportation electrification, focusing on federal, state, and local-level policies in the Midwest and Southeast. I address policy challenges through educational campaigns and coalition building. I also host and attend events to unite a network of stakeholders supporting national and energy security and decreasing the U.S.'s oil dependence. Two aspects of my job that I love most are the ability to work 100 percent remotely and working to transition dirty diesel school buses to electric school buses for a healthy, clean future for children and communities.
Q: How did your experience at Loyola prepare you for the career you chose to pursue?
Loyola provided great insight into the circular economy, environmental sustainability, and environmental justice, allowing me to narrow my potential career paths. The numerous professional development opportunities advertised through Loyola allowed me to apply what I had learned, develop new skills, and build a professional network that eventually shaped how I envisioned my career.
Q: What are some of the highlights from your time at Loyola?
Although my time at Loyola was short (two years), I achieved much more than I imagined. The SES student email bulletin was the most valuable resource for professional development opportunities. It's how I learned about the Yale fellowship and the ELPC internship. In addition, Loyola offered the Abrams Sustainable Business Challenge, which I like to think of as Shark Tank for students with fantastic environmental-friendly ideas. I competed for the Abrams Challenge in 2022, making it to the final round, and again in 2023, where my team achieved third place. Loyola also has numerous clubs. I joined the Food Recovery Network for a year and learned extensively about food waste, recovery, and repurposing. These ventures provided new skills, education, and a growing network of exemplary professionals and mentors who have guided and advocated for me to achieve my goals, allowing me to receive the honorary Hazel M. Johnson Award for Outstanding Graduate Student and helping carve my professional path.
Q: What do you find most interesting or meaningful about your current work?
I am fascinated by how policy-making moves the needle for all the significant changes and improvements we aim to see. For electric vehicles (EVs), the policy landscape is ever-changing as new innovative technologies emerge and as research shows why EVs are the ultimate solution to reduce transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions, address the resulting pollution in disadvantaged communities, and, ultimately, tackle the climate crisis. The world's dependence on oil is a massive problem, but the multiple avenues to transition to other renewable energy sources, like electricity, are eye-opening and bring the mindset of an all-hands-on-deck approach to this revolutionary shift. While I mainly focus on EVs from the national, energy, and economic security perspective, taking a non-partisan approach in policy advocacy, I still work with environmental-focused organizations, providing data on sustainable transportation's numerous environmental and public health benefits. On my end, I offer EV market and policy analysis data that complement our stakeholder's work. Ultimately, internal and external teamwork allows us to see policies pass and bring much-needed change.
Q: What advice would you give to current SES students or those considering pursuing a degree in the School of Environmental Sustainability?
I highly recommend enrolling in Loyola's School of Environmental Sustainability and taking advantage of its robust professional development opportunities, whether by joining a club, participating in research, or applying for external internships. Additionally, connect with your professors if you need guidance, tools, or resources as you explore potential career paths.
If you are contemplating transitioning to a new career, don't be afraid to go for it! Society makes us believe that we should figure out a career plan at 17 and 18 years old and stick to it for the rest of our lives. Humans evolve, and the 17- or 18-year-old version of yourself may not resemble the older you. Exploring new waters is okay, especially if your current career feels unfulfilling or makes you unhappy. Environmental and sustainability-focused work is indeed rewarding, whether in consulting, sustainable design, policy, or developing an app for a sustainable brand, among many other potential paths. Climate change anxiety is a reality, and changing our lifestyles is sometimes not enough to address it. A career pivot to a job saving the environment can bring the hope and clarity that many wish to feel and see.