Brandeis Stories

By Julian Cardillo ’14
October 14, 2025

Lauren Farley ’26 spent her summer learning about sales, business development and event planning as an intern with the American Clean Power Association, a national nonprofit that advocates for renewable energy technologies such as wind, solar and battery storage.

The Washington, D.C.-area native helped plan major industry conferences, covering topics from siting and permitting to offshore wind and women’s leadership in renewable energy, by conducting market research, coordinating outreach to sponsors and exhibitors, and updating policies to ensure events were inclusive and accessible. She even created a guide to planning inclusive and accessible conferences.

An anthropology major with minors in environmental studies, education studies and theater, Farley has intentionally built an academic experience centered on developing tools to bring about positive, systemic change.

“I’m passionate about both sustainability and accessibility,” Farley says. “I help make sure our events are ADA-compliant, and go above and beyond to make them accessible — something that’s often overlooked in the industry.”

Her interest in clean energy advocacy and accessibility is more than professional. It’s deeply personal.

“I’ve always cared deeply about people and how systems affect them,” she says. “I want to work at the intersection of renewable energy, disability access and education because these are all justice issues. Climate change disproportionately affects marginalized communities, and making the energy space more inclusive benefits everyone.”

At Brandeis, Farley has continued to deepen that commitment. She was recently selected as a Lurie Undergraduate Research Fellow at the Heller School’s Lurie Institute for Disability Policy, where she’s exploring how disability inclusion can be more effectively embedded in public policy and institutional practices.

“It’s helped me think critically about how inclusion can be built into the systems we already have — and how to push those systems further,” she explains.

Brandeis has helped her sharpen her research and communication skills, while nurturing her values.

“Brandeis helped me find the language and knowledge to act on what I’ve always believed: that we can make things better,” she says. “It has given me a place to explore big ideas and apply them in ways that matter.”

Brandeis undergraduates who undertake unpaid internships in such fields as social justice, Jewish service, politics, public service and more may pursue a World of Work fellowship, a competitive grant that helps reduce financial obstacles, offered through the Hiatt Career Center.