Kira Barsten

Experience

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  Gap Inc.

  Nov 2014 - Jan 2017

  Peer Advisor

  Managed the sales floor, trained new sales associates, supervised existing sales associates, and tracked hourly sales. A top-performing associate in assisting the store with meeting regional Gap card acquisitions and sales goals. Assisted customers throughout their time in the store and provided expert advice in relevant areas.

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  Cal Women's Club Water Polo

  Sept 2015 - May 2016

  Co-Captain

  Facilitated the improvement of basic water polo skills within members of the Gold team, managed the team during practice and tournaments, and focused on building team cohesion through group activities outside of practice.

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  Save the Redwoods League

  Jan 2016 - May 2016

  Climate Change Action Intern

  Taught lessons in Berkeley High School biology classes to convey information about climate change and its effects on redwood forests in the students’ local environment as well as California as a whole. Led Berkeley High School students on a field trip to the Oakland Regional Redwood Park to study redwoods. Designed and led a “BioBlitz” at Franklin Preschool to teach 35 preschoolers about biodiversity.

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  California Academy of Sciences

  May 2016 - Jul 2016

  Public Programs Intern

  Received official training in public education and youth development to implement on the public floor. Enhanced guest experiences by providing support around the Academy and engaging guests with the exhibits. Deepened guest engagement with the Naturalist Center by designing a question-based scavenger hunt. Fostered early childhood development through one-on-one interactions and games with children aged 0-5.

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  Cal Women's Club Water Polo

  Aug 2016 - May 2017

  Apparel Manager & Co-Captain

  Designed clothing, contracted with vendors, and collected payment for team apparel for 30+ women. Ensured financial longevity by managing the team budget in conjunction with the treasurer.Contributed to player satisfcation by coaching new players, organizing social events, and arranging tournaments.

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  Associated Students of the University of California

  Aug 2016 - May 2017

  Environmental Education Policy Coordinator

  Created and kicked off a campaign to incorporate environmental education into UC Berkeley’s freshman orientation.Coordinated efforts between different campus groups to work on environmental education initiatives. Assisted with marketing various office-wide environmental and social justice initiatives.

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  EarthShare

  Jan 2017 - May 2017

  Engagement and Marketing Intern

  Carried out a professional rebranding of “Green Team Networking Group” with a new name, logo, purpose, and structure. Taught myself how to use Adobe Illustrator to design a new logo from scratch.

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  National Park Service

  Jan 2017 - May 2017

  Every Kid in a Park Intern

  Volunteered with the National Park Service to carry out President Obama’s “Every Kid in a Park” initiative.Promoted climate protection by designing climate change education programming for East Bay fourth graders.Designed and led interactive walks through the park for students to deepen their understanding of climate change.

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  U.S. Department of Justice

  Jun 2017 - Aug 2017

  Undergraduate Intern

  Supported environmental and social justice efforts by conducting legal and policy research for four attorneys on legislation related to the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Indian Child Welfare Act.Attended 30+ congressional hearings and drafted memos to assist section chiefs and attorneys with pressing cases.

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  Reasoning Research Group

  Aug 2017 - Dec 2017

  Undergraduate Research Assistant

  Assisted a graduate student team with researching cognitive links between data presentation and climate science acceptance.

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  Associated Students of the University of California

  Aug 2017 - Jan 2018

  Director of Sustainable Land Use Policy

  Successfully co-led a team of students and groundskeepers to stop the use of herbicides on campus. This laid the groundwork for a nationwide movement, previously known as Herbicide Free Campus and now part of Re:Wild. Universities across the U.S. have followed our framework.Helped to lay the groundwork for on-campus gardens to generate food that can be donated to the Food Pantry to help address food insecurity at UC Berkeley. Supported the Oxford Tract and Student Organic Garden in the face being threatened with displacement. Show less

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  Epsilon Eta at UC Berkeley

  Sept 2017 - May 2019

  Member

  Epsilon Eta is UC Berkeley's only professional environmental service fraternity, focused on community engagement, building an environmental network both on- and off-campus, and fostering a strong academic support system. As a member of the first-ever pledge class, I took part in numerous volunteer events related to environmental work, attended professional development events, and engaged in academic study groups. I am now part of the first-ever alumni class and am working to provide mentorship and professional development opportunities for future Epsilon Eta members. Show less

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  REI

  Sept 2017 - Jan 2019

  Sales Specialist

  Actively cultivated a love of the outdoors and for adventure by providing excellent customer service. Assisted customers with purchase decisions by sharing expertise and personal experiences.

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  Student Environmental Resource Center

  Sept 2018 - May 2019

  Led bi-weekly team meetings, managed a team of seven writers, created pitch ideas for articles, managed timelines in order to edit and publish articles every week via WordPress, and assisted with any questions or issues writers faced. Successfully applied for a $10,960 grant from The Green Initiative Fund to create a stronger editorial program. Worked with the outgoing team and incoming Blog Manager to shape the future structure, function, and goals of the blog. Increased awareness of environmental issues by authoring several articles regarding conscious consumerism and personal waste reduction for UC Berkeley’s only student-run environmental publication. Successfully reached over one thousand people per article written.

  • Editor at The Leaflet

    Jan 2019 - May 2019

  • Student Writer for The Leaflet

    Sept 2018 - May 2019
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  ReGrained

  Feb 2019 - May 2019

  Brand Development and Social Media Intern

  Authored several articles for ReGrained’s “UpCyclist” blog to celebrate Earth Week. Photographed products for the company’s Instagram account, newsletter, and giveaways. Engaged with strategic partners via Instagram to spread awareness of ReGrained’s values and products. Prioritized waste reduction goals by engaging with diverse stakeholders to discuss challenges with packaging.

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  City of Mountain View

  Sept 2019 - Dec 2020

  Started as a Fellow, then hired on as a full-time Analyst.Managed 12+ sustainability initiatives related to small business outreach, volunteer recruitment, public education, policy development, and community engagement, and directly supervised a Climate Corps Fellow for six months.Developed quantitative metrics and conducted budget research for the division’s $4 million Sustainability Action Plan.Expanded the reach of the City’s online sustainability engagement and social media platforms to 1500+ residents. Show less

  • Sustainability Analyst

    Jul 2020 - Dec 2020

  • Climate Corps Sustainability Fellow

    Sept 2019 - Jun 2020
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  Wild Mountain Seeds

  Apr 2021 - Jul 2021

  Farm Apprentice

  Supported sustainable vegetable production on a three-acre organic farm focused on climate resilience and adaptation.

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  University of Michigan- School for Environment and Sustainability

  Oct 2021 - Dec 2021

  Graduate Student Peer Advisor

  Advised current master's students on degree requirements, course registration, and specializations.Helped to structure and build out the graduate peer advising program within the School for Environment and Sustainability.

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  City of Ann Arbor

  Jan 2022 - Aug 2022

  Circular Economy Intern

  Reviewed 150+ peer-reviewed papers to develop innovative metrics for a circular economy in Ann Arbor.Created an in-depth community engagement plan for the development of the Circular Economy Action Plan.

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  U-M Graham Sustainability Institute

  Jan 2022 - Apr 2023

  Served as an advisory board member for one of the 2021-2022 Dow Distinguished Awards teams -- Greening Low-Income, Self-Managed Housing in São Paulo, Brazil. Secured a $40,000 grant to pilot a circular economy nursery with community partners. Increased awareness of interconnected circular and solidarity economy efforts from local grassroots organizations by creating several case studies. Worked with the San Francisco Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve as part of an interdisciplinary team to design a research/higher education/career pipeline program for underserved young adults in Marin and Solano counties to meet client's social equity goals.

  • Advisory Board Member

    Sept 2021 - Apr 2023

  • Sustainability Fellow

    Jan 2022 - Dec 2022
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  San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA)

  Jun 2022 - now

  Managing and executing a program to create new bus and rail signs at all 5,000+ transit stops in the City.Designing modern, accessibility-oriented signs for transit stops, using GIS, Python, and Adobe InDesign to do so.Improving public transit by creating maps in Adobe Illustrator to highlight route and stop changes for transit users.Created a web tool in ArcGIS to allow for real-time collection of data about the accessibility of transit stops.

  • Transit Planner II

    Nov 2023 - now

  • Transit Service Planning Intern

    Jun 2022 - Nov 2023
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  Taubman College of Architecture + Urban Planning, University of Michigan

  Aug 2022 - May 2023

  Transformed master’s program curriculum by creating and running a fully funded course with 60+ students enrolled in the Winter 2023 semester at Taubman College. This course has been approved for continuation for Year 2. Hired and onboarded four more students to take over this work.Formulated a radical syllabus by holding participatory workshops with students that focuses on disrupting current urban planning practices and brought in 13 guest speakers who focused on decolonization, power analysis, and more.Secured $10,000+ in grant funding and handled logistics for hosting practitioners to speak in person for the course. Show less

  • Radical Planning Course Lead

    Sept 2022 - May 2023

  • Research Assistant

    Oct 2021 - Jan 2023

  • Graduate Student Instructor

    Aug 2022 - Dec 2022