UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Helina Qin, a fourth-year student double majoring in economics and finance with a minor in information sciences and technology, serves as the vice president of the Penn State Net Impact Undergraduate Chapter. Net Impact is a nonprofit organization that brings together students and professionals interested in using business skills to support various social and environmental causes. At Penn State, Qin and other members of the Net Impact Undergraduate Chapter help to spread information about sustainable business practices on an organizational and individual level.
Qin, a Shandong, China, native joined Net Impact with a curiosity about sustainable business practices and has effectively learned such practices, such as designating recycling systems and creating a culture of environmental awareness. She said the seven pillars of sustainability measures — strategy, technology, communication, finance, legal, capital and people — are structured within the club’s general body meetings, allowing members to continually learn about the world of accelerating business sustainability.
“When I joined Net Impact, I didn’t know the full importance of sustainability in business practices, nor did I know that implementation measures come in many forms — from the corporate level to the individual level,” Qin said. “Hearing different perspectives on sustainability, networking with corporate leaders and learning about different companies dedicated to improving their impact on the Earth was made possible by my time as a member of Net Impact.”
To engage undergraduate students within the world of business sustainability, the club puts on bi-weekly meetings that include interactive discussions about current sustainability issues; information on environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing and a career mapping course to help students find out how their professional aspirations align with their personal values of environmental preservation. These activities give members the opportunity to advance their knowledge of current business practices and challenges, as well as critique and form ideas of better implementation strategies.
“Our goal as a chapter is to inspire and educate individuals about environmentally sustainable business practices that will equip them with skills and tools to enter their professional careers and make a positive environmental impact,” Qin said. “The ability to learn, reach out, ask questions and think of cohesive ideas for sustainability measures is something we want to help develop.”
Qin served as a teaching assistant in two economics classes, which, she said, helped her learn a lot about collaborating with faculty and how to successfully connect with students about economics topics.
“These skills definitely helped in my role as vice president for Net Impact as I am working with the Net Impact leadership team to connect with students and expand the organization,” she said.
Qin’s two majors have also helped her in her Net Impact role, and she said they complement each other well.
“A noticeable difference between my finance and economics major is that in the finance classes that I have taken, I would learn specific valuation methods sometimes using specific economic data, while economics classes show me a holistic picture of how all the elements — such as the labor market, international trade and indicators such as GDP — all work together.”
To share and empower the chapter’s voices for continuing sustainable business practices, Net Impact puts on an annual Student Sustainable Business Conference, in collaboration with the Penn State Smeal Center for the Business of Sustainability, bringing business leaders and Penn State faculty together to speak with students to discuss their companies’ environmental efforts. The ability to connect students with prominent leaders in the world of business during the conference, which was held earlier this month, allowed students to get a firsthand view of how such efforts materialize and impact companies and the Earth.
“Penn State is one of the biggest universities in the United States,” Qin said. “When we bring its undergraduate body together in an educational setting, such as our conference, students act as sponges, absorbing everything, seeing everything and learning everything. Our conference shows students that sustainability is possible and manageable, and that little sustainable actions can lead to big impacts, which is especially important as students grow to become professionals in their career. Sustainability can be implemented into many different levels of life. The best way to start is to find out what you can accomplish.”
This summer, Qin will bring her passion for sustainability to American Airlines, where she will work as a hub and gateway strategy intern analyzing data on how to improve company efficiency, such as with sustainable aviation fuel.
“Analyzing economic data and conditions can drive growth within any business as it can help with company decision making and profitability. My economics major has helped me gain that technical skill,” Qin said. “In the future, I wish to continue to develop my skill in understanding different elements within economics and pursue a career in business analytics.
“My overall experience with the College of the Liberal Arts has been great. I have loved working with professors, whether by being a teaching assistant or going to office hours to further understand a topic. I have also gained valuable soft and technical skills while making lifelong friends. Overall, I am incredibly grateful for the College of the Liberal Arts.”
‘Moments of Change: Creating a Livable Planet’
In the fall of 2022, the College of the Liberal Arts chose the theme for its next offering in its Moments of Change initiative — an undertaking that brings students, faculty, staff and alumni together to explore what it means to live through historic and contemporary times of change. Through the spring of 2024, “Moments of Change: Creating a Livable Planet” is focusing on the many aspects of sustainability and highlighting the ongoing work of the Liberal Arts Sustainability Council, students, faculty and staff in that regard. Similar to “Remembering 1968” in 2018 and “A Century of Women’s Activism” in 2020, the college has planned an array of courses, lectures, presentations and events centered around the “Creating a Livable Planet” theme.