EcoPower '26 · Nine Weeks
EcoPower '26
“I came in calm. I'm leaving with growth and experience — and an answer to the question I walked in with: how do you balance being professional and still being yourself?”
Day 1: Optimistic
“Day one, my word was optimistic. I was eating breakfast, taking it all in, and wondering how the summer would go. Steady, real, ready.”
The Question I Asked Out Loud
“Before headshot day, I was already thinking about how to balance professional and your own personality. I asked it out loud — and by the end of the program, I found the answer. You don't water yourself down to be taken seriously.”
Present to the People Around Me
“Some of my favorite moments weren't assignments — hanging out with friends as they started classes, being there for the people around me. That steadiness is part of the work too.”
Place, Community, Power
“Working in East Flatbush, Flatbush, and Flatlands taught me about the community, place, and power that I couldn't learn in the classroom. It taught me how much people are actively working and fighting for all of us. Seeing how Ground3D created a map to inform and direct others, and how BKLVLUP consistently provides for multiple communities — that is truly inspirational.”
Leaving With: Growth and Experience
“Clean, honest, exactly right. Nine weeks of real interviews, real research, and real coordination — and a bigger sense of who I can reach next.”
Gratitude
People who shaped this work
Ndidi Chimah
Graduate Practitioner, EcoPower '26
Jay
Closing video collaborator
Victoria
Closing video collaborator
Dennine
Session lead — thinking bigger
On the ground