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Office of Sustainability
University of Mississippi

2014 – 2015 Green Student Interns

Madeleine Achgill
Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee Intern

Madeleine Achgill is a sophomore International Studies and Chinese major from Indianapolis, IN. She is involved in many aspects of sustainability on the Ole Miss campus, including Students for a Green Campus and the UM Green Fund Committee. She is also an intern for Thacker Mountain Radio Hour, a local one-hour music and literature radio show. She enjoys traveling and studying in China with the UM Chinese Language Flagship Program and is looking forward to studying abroad somewhere in South America next year. This semester she’s excited to develop the campus biking program and cycling culture.


Colby Allen
Composting Team

Colby is a sophomore pursuing a degree  in Studio Fine Arts. In addition to being a student and interning in the Office of Sustainability, Colby is also a freelance graphic designer. In her free time she enjoys drawing, knitting, and traveling. Colby is looking forward to making the Ole Miss campus and Oxford community more sustainable by being a part of the composting program.


Joe Bell
STARS Data Intern

Joe Bell is a sophomore triple major in international studies, public policy leadership, and spanish. Joe hails from Gloucester, MA where the coastal living inspired his love of the outdoors and the environment. In his time at Ole Miss, Joe has served as the campaign chair for Real Food Rebels and Students for a Green Campus. Joe is currently the fundraising and outreach coordinator for the UM Green Fund Committee and the director of campus sustainability within the Associated Student Body (ASB). In the upcoming years Joe is excited to study abroad in Latin America and upon graduation he intends to work in the energy and environment sector.


Lydia Hayes
Higher Education Practicum Student

Lydia Hayes is a first year  graduate student in the Higher Education/Student Personnel program. She is completing an assistantship with the Department of Student Housing as the Graduate Community Director of the Residential College South in addition to her practicum experience with the Office of Sustainability.  Lydia earned her undergraduate degree in Organizational and Professional Communication Studies from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and is originally from Monticello, Minnesota. Lydia is excited to experience the intersection of sustainability with various departments in student affairs.

Ashley Maiolatesi
Game Day Recycling Coordinator

Ashley Maiolatesi was born in Binghamton, New York, and raised in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. She is currently a Junior, majoring in Psychology and minoring in Spanish and Environmental Studies. She serves on the executive board of RebelTHON, and is a member of the Honors College, Panhellenic Judicial Board, and Phi Mu Fraternity. Ashley also recently completed a summer internship with the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies. After graduating, she hopes to join the Peace Corps and later attend law school to pursue a career in environmental law. In her free time, Ashley enjoys reading, traveling, and practicing yoga. This will be her first year serving as Game Day Coordinator and she cannot wait to see more positive change happening at Ole Miss.

Ellen Olack
Green Week Intern

Ellen Olack is in her final year at the University of Mississippi majoring in International Studies and Spanish. During her time at UM she started the Eco-Fashion show which has become an annual fundraising event, has served as Chair for Students for a Green Campus, sat on the Green Fund Committee Board, and worked to implement the first UM dorm garden behind the Residential College South. Having just returned from her semester abroad in Ecuador, she is working on her thesis which studies the effect of gender roles within the environmental movement throughout the Americas. Her goal is to pursue a career working towards Environmental Justice in Latin America post graduation. Until then, she is excited to be working on this year’s Green Week Planning Committee and enjoys knitting, traveling, and watching Netflix in her spare time.


Emily Richmond
Game Day Recycling Coordinator

Emily is a native of Jonesboro, AR.  She was an active volunteer with the Green Grove Initiative and extremely passionate about recycling. Both of these led to her joining the Game Day team in 2014.  Emily is a member of Kappa Delta Sorority, the Ole Miss Women’s Council, the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College, and the FASTrack Peer Mentoring program.  Emily was also a camp counselor for a program in the Mississippi Delta that worked to construct a teaching garden for a kindergarten class. Emily enjoys  kayaking, exercising,  and playing with her dog.

Dalny Ruel
Higher Education Practicum Student

Dalny moved to Oxford from Miami, Florida in 2014 to attend Graduate School at the University of Mississippi. She is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Higher Education/Student Personnel and is both a Graduate Assistant with Student Housing and a Practicum Student at the Office of Sustainability. During her time as a Practicum Student, Dalny is excited to work on developing the first Eco Rep program in the Residence Halls at the University of Mississippi. Dalny holds a B.A. in Communication Arts from Florida International University.

Grace Sullivan
Game Day Recycling Coordinator

Grace Sullivan is passionate about words, hula hooping and everything Ole Miss. She is a sophomore journalism major from Madison, MS. She believes that the need to learn sustainable practices becomes more urgent every day, and that there’s no better place to start educating and doing than right at home in The Grove. Outside of working with the Office of Sustainability, Grace is a senator in the Associated Student Body and an active member of several on campus organizations including Students for a Green Campus, Rebels for Life, and Delta Gamma Fraternity. She enjoys doing Zumba, watching squirrels, and reading way too much news, particularly about education reform.

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