Dr. Aloja Airewele (he/him/the lion) has been with the Energy Warriors program since 2015, when it was initially designed to provide those in the state youth detention program with environmental education and some job skills. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Energy Warriors evolved into a community workforce program, under which Aloja helped establish the Career Pathways Project. The Career Pathways Project brought in community partners to create a coordinated approach to workforce training, job connections and support in the clean energy industry.
Soon after this expansion, Smart Energy Choices was formed, and since the Regional Clean Energy Hubs all have workforce components, Energy Warriors was a natural fit to put under the Hub program. Now, Energy Warriors serves as Smart Energy Choices’ workforce arm, helping to bring more people into the green energy workforce.
As the program leader, Aloja coordinates all Energy Warriors programming, including recruitment efforts, training methods, partner involvement and more. Through it all, he said he most enjoys meeting people excited for the clean energy future — whether they’re future recruits or community partners.
Aloja said one of the best features of Energy Warriors’ education efforts is its work readiness component, which he said is “weaved” into the program. Participants learn the importance of coming on time and working in teams through class participation, and there are lessons on resume crafting, critical thinking skills, and creative exploration and problem solving.
“The issue of justice is very important to me, and I have always seen Energy Warriors as an extension of that work for human dignity and justice. I trained as a physician originally, so for me, environmental health is very crucial to individual health.”
When Aloja isn’t doing Energy Warriors work, he can be found enjoying music, whether that be listening to folk music, reading books on music or playing various percussion instruments, especially drums.
To learn more about Energy Warriors, read this article from Cornell Chronicle. To contact Aloja directly, call (607) 272-2292 x143 or email aaa247@cornell.edu.