Note:  Cool Davis Communications interns Brittney Nial and Maggie Maue interviewed and wrote about each other for this article of introduction, which is coming long after they began volunteering. See the quite interesting results below. From facilitating discussions to gathering feedback from workshop-goers, Maggie and Brittney have been dedicated, responsive, and professional in all their pursuits with Cool Davis this quarter! Thanks to them both!

MAGGIE MAUE

You may have read her articles, been interviewed by her, or attended an event that she ran. This fall, Cool Davis has had the good fortune of working with Communications intern, Maggie Maue.  “I have always considered myself to be somewhat environmentally conscious and try to limit the amount of waste I produce,” said Maggie, “but I wanted to go deeper and see what else I could do to help the environment. I think that starting locally and community-based is a great idea since I believe that most change starts small.”

Maggie first heard about Cool Davis through our other Communications intern, Brittney Nial, who started as a volunteer last winter. Brittney and Maggie met through the Davis Night Market, a group that collects leftovers from various restaurants, cafeterias, bakeries, and grocery stores at the end of each weekday and distributes the food at Central Park from 9:00-11:00 pm. While anyone is welcome to come, most people who do are struggling with food insecurity.

When Maggie isn’t knee deep in schoolwork or working with environmental and social equity groups in Davis, she can be found in the Sacramento dance community.

“I have been dancing for almost my whole life,” said Maggie. “Currently, I dance with Borne Dance Company, a nonprofit that raises awareness for mental health issues with a focus on eating disorders, and ANB Dance company, a femme heels group that focuses on self-love, inclusion, and body positivity.”

Maggie is also a dance teacher for students ranging from elementary school to early high school. “My plan is to keep dancing until I physically can’t anymore!” she said.

But when asked about her career goals, Maggie brings the focus back to the field of Communications. “I also [applied for this internship] to enhance my administrative and writing skills to help me achieve my dream career as an editor,” she said. “I was on the yearbook staff my junior year of high school and had missed the excitement of the writing and editing process. I am already enjoying this internship, and I can’t wait for what we have in store for the coming months!”

Maggie is a fourth year undergraduate student at UC Davis and a Sacramento native.

Some articles by Maggie:

Emergency Preparedness Fair: Protecting Our Community’s Seniors

The #1 Way to Reduce Air Travel Emissions? Reduce Air Travel!

Earth Day Pledge Challenge

BRITTNEY NIAL

 

Brittney Nial

Brittney Nial is one of our Communications interns for Fall 2023. In the winter of last year, she decided she wanted to volunteer for something that mattered to her and found Cool Davis. She loved working with Leslie Crenna, Communications and  Campaign Manager, and her incredible leadership and the group energy that she fostered. This fall is the first time that Brittney is an official intern with Cool Davis and she loves it! She is very grateful for the freedom and trust that she has been given to create and then see real change within the organization and the community.

During this internship, Brittney has had the amazing opportunity to conduct her own research about a topic that she is passionate about, the impacts of palm oil on the environment, and got to present her palm oil-free eating guide during our pledger share in October! Another highlight of her internship was the chance to talk to some incredible and inspiring leaders in the electric vehicle field during Cool Davis’s EVs at the Pavilion this past October.

Through this internship, Brittney has gained a lot of knowledge and soft skills and is constantly inspired by what the passionate, brilliant people accomplish at Cool Davis and in many of the other small nonprofits that she has come across in Yolo County. She is interested in learning more about the organizational structures of nonprofits, the communication challenges they face, and how they address them.

In the future, she wants to increase and optimize the networks of small to medium nonprofits. Her end goal is to one day be a part of a consultant firm for nonprofits that is funded by either grants or private corporate donations. This would help organizations of all sizes that are doing good for their communities to have access to resources and advice that can increase their impact. At the end of the day, Brittney doesn’t really care what she does, as long as she can help others in a meaningful way!

When Brittney isn’t making incredible change in the nonprofit sector, she can be found at the gym, reading a book, communicating with friends and family, or doing research for Cool Davis that no one particularly asked for. More often than not, it’s some combination of the above.

Beyond that, Brittney is a walker. You’ll often find her walking around town, walking on the treadmill (while reading a book on her phone, of course), or hiking anywhere that is surrounded by trees. Connecting people is one of her favorite things to do. She plans lots of outings with various friends who may or may not yet know each other, but by the end of the event, everyone is talking and laughing. In fact, connecting people was how she ended up being able to do this internship with one of her best friends, Maggie Maue!

Brittney is a third year Communications major at UC Davis.

Some articles by Brittney:

Electric Panel Replacement Deadline at Covell Commons

 

EVs@thePavilion Accelerates Local EV Adoption and Reduction in Climate Pollutants

Collaborative articles by both Maggie and Brittney:

What “Barbie” Movie Teaches Us: Don’t Expect Perfection and Don’t Do It Alone