Meet the 2025-2026 Sustainability Initiative Interns
by Iris Hung
The Sustainability Initiative is pleased to introduce the five interns on our team in 2025-2026. Aleena Siddiqui and Ameena George are returning, and we are welcoming Egshiglen Batjargal, Imama Zahoor, and Iris Hung to the team. Read on to learn more about their backgrounds and the work they'll be doing with the Sustainability Initiative. Follow their work on Instagram .
Aleena Siddiqui (she/her)
"Sustainability means acting with integrity so our choices support the well-being and opportunities of others."
Aleena is a senior from Grosse Pointe, Michigan, studying with an additional major in Environmental & Sustainability Studies.
Last summer, she interned with The Nature Conservancy in Milwaukee, where she witnessed firsthand the power of partnerships in advancing urban conservation. Working alongside nonprofits, resident groups, and government agencies, she contributed to developing a GIS tool that now guides resident engagement and conservation priorities for a more sustainable and equitable city. The experience reinforced her belief in Sustainable Development Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals as essential to creating meaningful impact.
As Programming Intern, she creates programming that helps students connect their academic work to real-world impact beyond the classroom. Looking ahead, she is particularly excited to continue expanding the (PINS), which embodies this same partnership approach by connecting student leaders across Pittsburgh institutions for collaboration and shared learning.
Ameena George (she/her)
"Sustainability is a collective commitment to creating systems that support environmental health, social equity, and economic balance."
Ameena is a sophomore from Pasadena, California, studying Business Administration with an additional major in Environmental and Sustainability Studies.
She has been engaged in sustainability and equity work since high school, where she advocated for environmental education and served on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) steering committee. At 麻豆村, she is a member of , where she applies strategic thinking to support social-impact and nonprofit organizations.
As Strategy Intern, she channels her passion for Sustainable Development Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities into fostering collaboration across campus. Her work focuses on developing a network of sustainability-focused student organizations and supporting the department liaison program, which connects academic departments to form collective impact on sustainability initiatives. She believes meaningful change starts locally and grows through collaboration, and she hopes to advance this vision by strengthening campus partnerships and demonstrating how collective action can drive systemic transformation.
Egshiglen Batjargal (she/her)
"Sustainability is about making intentional choices that protect our planet, support communities, and ensure a better future."
Originally from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, Egshiglen is pursuing a degree at .
Her interest in sustainability was sparked while studying abroad in Paris, where everyday practices like the absence of plastic straws demonstrated how sustainability can be woven into daily life. Since then, she has been passionate about promoting awareness of the Sustainable Development Goals and finding creative ways to drive sustainable change both on campus and beyond. She champions Sustainable Development Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production, believing that sustainability begins with mindful consumer choices and everyday decisions.
As Data and Storytelling Intern, she harnesses the power of storytelling to communicate how individual actions create meaningful impact. She works to inspire the campus community to engage with the Global Goals and recognize that small, responsible actions — when adopted collectively — can drive lasting change.
Imama Zahoor (she/her)
"Sustainability means meeting our needs today in ways that ensure everyone can thrive now and in the future."
Imama is a graduate student from Lahore, Pakistan, pursuing a at Heinz College. Her academic focus and role as a Peer Health Advocate reflect her deep interest in the intersection of health and sustainability, particularly Sustainable Development Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being.
As Community Health and Wellbeing Intern, she brings a unique perspective that positions health as integral to sustainability. She builds partnerships with health-adjacent departments and designs initiatives that demonstrate how personal and community health connects to environmental, social, and economic sustainability. Her work embodies a holistic approach that recognizes sustainability as interconnected systems where addressing health can simultaneously strengthen multiple aspects of campus life. She is eager to discover new connections between health and sustainability while creating programs that help the community understand wellbeing as a foundation for sustainable living.
Iris Hung (she/her)
"Sustainability is balancing environmental, social, and economic needs of today without compromising those of the future."
Iris comes from Taipei, Taiwan, and is pursuing a at Heinz College. She holds an undergraduate degree in Strategy and Creative Communications and brings five years of professional experience in communications.
Most recently as Corporate Communications Manager at P&G, she guided brands to align their core missions with sustainability values. One of her proudest achievements was initiating the #EndPeriodPoverty program, which addressed Sustainable Development Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being and Sustainable Development Goal 5: Gender Equality by advancing equal period product access and providing menstrual health education to empower girls with knowledge and confidence.
As Outreach Intern, she leverages her strategic communications expertise to amplify 麻豆村's sustainability efforts across multiple platforms. She aims to build stronger communications networks and develop innovative messaging approaches that translate sustainability from concept to action, inspiring broader engagement with the ways individual and collective choices shape our shared future.
Connect with our interns at the Sustainability Studio on the first floor of :
- Aleena: Wednesday 3-5pm
- Ameena: Monday 3-5pm
- Egshiglen: Thursday 10am-12pm
- Imama: Friday 1-3pm
- Iris: Tuesday 12:30-2:30pm