Building Tomorrow's Environmental Law Career Through Early Professional Experience

The path from high school student to future environmental lawyer isn't always straightforward, but for some young professionals, early exposure to climate work and professional development can illuminate the way forward. Nolyn Wong's journey from Enterprise for Youth's Climate Career Corps to UC Berkeley's Political Economy program demonstrates how foundational career experiences can shape academic choices and long-term professional aspirations. Now thriving as a first-year student while maintaining clear goals for law school and corporate environmental law, Nolyn's story showcases the transformative power of early career exposure combined with academic excellence.

Nolyn Wong

Climate Career Corps Alumni (2022) & Former Program Assistant
UC Berkeley, Class of 2028 - Political Economy

What drew you to UC Berkeley and your major in Political Economy?

I'm currently a first-year student at UC Berkeley with intent in majoring in Political Economy. After graduating from Stuart Hall in June 2024, I knew I wanted to study something that would allow me to understand both the political and economic forces that shape our world. UC Berkeley's program offers exactly that kind of comprehensive approach.

How did your experience with the Climate Career Corps prepare you for college?

Climate Career Corps introduced me to the professional world and allowed me to network with like-minded peers and established professionals who sought both to improve their own skills and uplift others. The skills I learned and the supportive environment enabled me to apply myself in numerous ways. This didn't just help me be successful in my college application process, but also gave me an easy transition into collegiate level academics and social life.

What's the biggest difference you've noticed between high school and college?

College allows much more freedom than high school, both in how you manage your time and in course selection. However, having an increased degree of freedom can be very challenging to those who are unsure what they want to pursue or what personal goals they want to achieve. Working at Enterprise, especially as a Program Assistant in Climate Career Corps, built a foundation for setting clear attainable goals and methods of reaching them.

What are your plans after graduation?

I'm currently anticipating remaining in the Bay Area after graduation and attending law school. I hope to eventually work in corporate law, with an emphasis of study on political economy. The analytical skills and professional network I built through Enterprise for Youth have been invaluable in shaping this path.

What's a piece of wisdom you'd like to share?

"A lit candle loses no light lighting another candle." This quote really captures what I learned at Enterprise for Youth - that helping others succeed doesn't diminish your own light, it actually makes the whole community brighter.

If you could create your own internship program, what would it focus on?

With the increase in the potential of Natural Language Programs and AI, I'd develop a curriculum on how to effectively and morally utilize prompt engineering to maximize AI software for problem solving. This could have massive impacts in professional fields. Major companies such as Salesforce have already displayed an interest and demand for such skills.