Meet Paige! CRRH’s Summer Intern

Good news! We have a new intern this summer. 

Paige Snowball (yes, that’s her real last name) is a senior at the University of Cincinnati. She’s majoring in environmental studies with a minor in communications. Employed by Hamilton County R3source, a pollution prevention agency, Paige has been brought onto the team to help with public outreach, general media, and grant research. She is extremely excited to be working with The Hub. 

Ever since Paige was little, she was part of a family that recycled. Her parents made sure that she and her brother were recycling pros by the time they could clear their own plates. Needless to say, the Snowball household was always focused on sustainability, and it didn’t stop at recycling. Her mom always turned the lights off, and scolded the kids when they didn’t. She had plants in every window sill, and preferred the aroma of fresh air to the air conditioner.

While her mother was very focused on saving energy, her dad’s love for nature added to her passion for sustainability. A true poet at heart, her father truly shared her love of nature and science. They understood the beauty of evolution and ecology. He encouraged his kids to truly stop and appreciate how awe inspiring the planet is. 

Environmentalism has been part of Paige for as long as she can remember, and it has been one of the few passions that has remained constant throughout her years. So when it came to choosing a major for college, she knew she wanted to be in an environmental field. During her freshman and sophomore years, it was classes like “Environmental Justice” and “Sustainable Development” that put a fire in her heart. She wants to be the change.   

As far as previous works go, she has done plenty of projects and jobs in conservation and public outreach. Her favorite was working as a public advocate for a fenceline community in Middletown, OH that was suffering from fallout from a nearby steel manufacturing facility. During this project, she took and analyzed air quality samples, organized public outreach events, and built a website for community members. 

While Paige’s first love is writing, she also loves working in the field. Last summer, she interned at a weed control company in the Adirondack mountains. However, these were no ordinary weeds, they were an aquatic invasive plant called Eurasian Milfoil. Paige got her SCUBA certification, and would spend three hours at the bottom of a lake everyday hand harvesting the plants. Surprisingly, not a bad way to spend the summer. 

This year, she really honed in on her minor in communications by taking classes related to environmental communication. She studied the theory of how humans communicate with each other, and then how that can be applied to communicating environmental issues. With a loving shove from her mom, she decided to try out a job in environmental communication. When Paige found out about the opportunity at The Hub, she was amazed. Was it possible that there was a job that checked off all of her boxes? Yes, and she was elated when she got the job offer. 

Paige is looking forward to working with The Hub in their mission to “revolutionize the way people see ‘things’” and make an impact in her community. So far, she is loving working at The Hub and helping out around the warehouse! She’s usually the blonde running around with a camera during Thursday’s open hours, so come and say hello!