{"id":114354,"date":"2024-09-06T14:46:48","date_gmt":"2024-09-06T18:46:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/?post_type=bu-article&p=114354"},"modified":"2024-12-13T16:19:16","modified_gmt":"2024-12-13T21:19:16","slug":"beyond-the-classroom-roshan-sivaraman","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/news\/articles\/2024\/beyond-the-classroom-roshan-sivaraman\/","title":{"rendered":"Beyond the Classroom: Roshan Sivaraman (CFA’26, Pardee’26)"},"content":{"rendered":"\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tImproving access to shade and green space: My experience as a fellow for City of Boston’s Office of Climate Resilience\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

In CFA\u2019s Beyond the Classroom Series, music, theatre, and visual arts students at BU share their professional work experiences. These Terriers express how the resources at BU prepared them for success beyond the classroom.<\/em><\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n
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September 6, 2024<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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Beyond the Classroom: Roshan Sivaraman (CFA’26, Pardee’26)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As a dual degree student<\/a> pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance<\/a> and a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations<\/a>, Roshan Sivaraman (CFA’26, Pardee’26) knows all about exploring and diving into different interests. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the summer, Roshan joined the City of Boston’s Office of Climate Resilience<\/a> as a fellow, working on one of the city’s most transformational projects to take on the daily effects of climate change: the installation of 30 bus shelters with green roofs set up along one of Boston’s most utilized bus routes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Roshan recently spoke with CFA about their role in the project, developing promotional materials to connect with residents and increase awareness of heat and stormwater resilience. They also share some of their proudest moments – like helping to draft a letter to the State of Massachusetts after attending a technical session for the Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target program. Roshan also expresses how this opportunity allowed them to create some sense of work-life balance and meet individuals who Roshan may have not worked with had they not embarked on the journey of pursuing a dual degree. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Q&<\/span>A<\/h2>

WITH ROSHAN SIVARAMAN (CFA’26, Pardee’26)<\/h4><\/div>\n

CFA:<\/span> Tell us what it’s like to be a summer fellow for the Office of Climate Resilience team.<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Roshan:<\/span> As a summer fellow for OCR\u2019s heat resilience team, I have been working on several projects related to urban climate. This was a hot summer in Boston, so I was working on projects to improve access to shade and green space, both of which are super important pieces of heat resilience. I was particularly focused on the community engagement part of our projects, such as developing graphics and informational materials, but also connecting with residents and increasing awareness of heat as an element of urban climate change. I also worked briefly with the Environment Department\u2019s Policy team on drafting comment letters about state energy policy.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

CFA:<\/span> How did you come across this fellowship, and what steps did you take to secure it?<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Roshan:<\/span> I found out about this opportunity through BU Initiative on Cities<\/a> (IOC) in the spring of my freshman year, but I didn\u2019t think I was ready for it yet, so I decided to hold off on applying until this past spring. It was a fairly standard application process and I did two interviews with the IOC team.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

CFA:<\/span> What are some accomplishments you’ll take with you from this fellowship?<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Roshan:<\/span> I\u2019m really proud of the things that the heat resilience team accomplished this summer. By the end of August, we had 30 bus shelters with green roofs set up along Bus Route 28, one of the most heavily traversed routes (and one of three fare-free routes) in the Greater Boston area.

This project has been in the works for a decade now but I\u2019m so grateful that I got to see it come to fruition this summer. It was incredibly rewarding to see people taking advantage of shade but also a little frustrating that there hadn\u2019t already been shade there. Community engagement can be tricky (it definitely was for the first project I was involved with) but it\u2019s so satisfying when it goes well.

I also had the opportunity to sit in on a technical session for the Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target (SMART) program, where I learned so much about the complicated world of solar energy. I helped to draft our comment letter to the State of Massachusetts which made me feel really important.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

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CFA:<\/span> Did resources at CFA or BU help you prepare to succeed in this fellowship with the City of Boston?<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Roshan:<\/span> I was fortunate to be able to study abroad in Singapore last spring, which was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I didn\u2019t really realize how far behind we are when it comes to transit and environmentalism until I went there. My voice teacher, Dr. Lynn Eustis<\/a>, has been so supportive of me as a singer, a professional, and a person, and taking voice lessons with her this summer really kept me sane throughout my projects.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

CFA:<\/span> In what ways do you think this experience has helped you prepare for work beyond BU? <\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Roshan:<\/span> I felt that this fellowship was particularly challenging because our projects had to balance the needs of several groups of people with completely different visions for what the city\u2013or even just their local parking lots\u2013should look like. I\u2019m studying International Relations, and we often talk a lot about balancing the needs of various actors on a global or at least transnational scale, so you\u2019d think that it would be easier to deal with these issues when it\u2019s confined to a radius of one square mile. In fact, it demands just as much experience with \u201cpeople skills\u201d if not more. I gained a lot of experience in trying to find the most efficient or direct way of communicating with people, something that I feel that international organizations rarely have the capacity to do.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

CFA:<\/span> What did you learn about yourself?<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Roshan:<\/span> I think that as a Dual Degree student, I often place a lot of pressure on myself to be perfect, to do everything perfectly, and to get everything done. The reality of local government is that sometimes that just doesn\u2019t happen, and projects can take on a life of their own. I had to kind of compartmentalize the projects outside of my own identity, which allowed me to create some sense of work-life balance that I don\u2019t think I was able to do before.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

CFA:<\/span> Any advice for current CFA-ers looking to start applying to internships, fellowships, and such?<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Roshan:<\/span> You don\u2019t have to do a dual degree, but I feel like it\u2019s always worth it to cultivate skills outside of music because you never know where they\u2019ll take you! The music world (especially in Boston) sometimes gives us tunnel vision and we only meet people that we already know. This job was fantastic because I got to meet so many people that I never would have if I was a musician alone.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

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You don\u2019t have to do a dual degree, but I feel like it\u2019s always worth it to cultivate skills outside of music because you never know where they\u2019ll take you! The music world sometimes gives us tunnel vision and we only meet people that we already know. This job was fantastic because I got to meet so many people that I never would have if I was a musician alone.<\/div>