Mary Corrigan, a Master of Environmental Management student, spent her summer as a sustainability intern with Zoetis. Corrigan is pursuing concentrations in Business and Environment and in Energy and Environment. 

Each year, Nicholas School of the Environment students complete internships with organizations around the world. These summer experiences provide valuable opportunities to gain career-related experience and build a professional network. 

Duke Environment recently caught up with Corrigan to learn more about her experience. 

What aspects of the experience did you find most rewarding or memorable and why?

Three employees wearing name tags pose together in front of a wall with large red lettering.

This summer, I had the opportunity to support the creation and collection of documentation for Zoetis’ upcoming Scope 3 disclosures.

I worked alongside an ESG controller intern and an internal audit intern to develop a risk and control matrix that can support both the completion of the current project and its replication in future reporting cycles.

This project was especially rewarding because our intern team completed our portion ahead of schedule and had the opportunity to present our work to our respective teams.

How did the coursework and resources at the Nicholas School prepare you for success in this role as well as your internship search?

Courses such as Carbon Accounting and Sustainable Business Strategy provided me with a strong foundation in emissions accounting and sustainability reporting methodologies that I was able to apply directly to my projects.

These courses also strengthened my understanding of peer benchmarking and key performance indicators (KPIs), allowing me to translate concepts from these courses into practical applications within a global company.

How has this internship influenced your career aspirations? Did it confirm or change your professional goals in any way?

This internship confirmed my interest in pursuing a career in corporate sustainability by showing me the practical ways companies are influenced to pursue, prioritize or reconsider sustainability initiatives.

I especially enjoyed taking part in behind-the-scenes conversations that gave me a better understanding of how sustainability targets are developed and ultimately achieved. This experience allowed me to see how sustainability goals are translated into actionable business decisions and reinforced my interest in contributing to this work in the future.