Sometimes, the most important career decisions begin with a simple question.
For Becky Goldberg, that question came during her freshman year at UW–Madison. She had arrived on campus planning to become a doctor, immersed in chemistry and biology courses on the pre-med track. Then an introductory environmental studies class unexpectedly captured her attention. When she mentioned to her family how much she loved it, her mom responded with a question that would change everything. “So why don’t you major in it?”
It hadn’t occurred to Goldberg that environmental studies could become a career. But one conversation with a Nelson Institute professor opened her eyes to the countless paths an interdisciplinary education could offer. Looking back, she says her experiences at Nelson “completely shaped how I show up to my work every day.” More importantly, they showed her that there were many ways to improve people’s lives, and that healing the world didn’t have to happen inside a hospital.
Today, Goldberg, who earned her undergraduate degree in 2015, is doing exactly that. As strategic lead of education at We Care Solar, she builds partnerships with schools, companies, communities, and the solar ecosystem to expand access to renewable energy education. Her work creates opportunities for students, especially those from historically underrepresented communities, to see themselves as future leaders and problem-solvers in clean energy.
“The degree was meant to show all these different pathways … so that you can make an impact in your own way.”
— Becky Goldberg ’15
The role brings together many threads of her Nelson experience. Goldberg gravitated toward courses exploring the connections between environmental issues and human health, pairing her major with a global health certificate. Her capstone course, Birding to Change the World, paired ornithology with mentoring middle school students outdoors, revealing how education could become a powerful tool for environmental change. Study abroad experiences in Kenya and an internship in Cambodia further deepened her understanding of how environmental challenges, public health, and community partnerships intersect across cultures.
Those experiences inspired her to earn a master’s degree in secondary STEM and mathematics education from Johns Hopkins University while teaching middle school through Teach For America. She later transitioned into nonprofit leadership, eventually finding a role that united her passions for environmental sustainability, education, and equity.
At We Care Solar, Goldberg focuses on making renewable energy tangible for students. “My goal is to make sure that they see themselves as problem solvers of tomorrow,” she said. Rather than viewing solar power simply as a technology or career field, she encourages young people to see it as a tool for creating positive change. By equipping teachers with curriculum, training, and hands-on learning opportunities, her work at We Care Solar helps transform classrooms into places where students develop both technical knowledge and confidence.
One initiative she’s especially proud of is We Care Solar’s first partnership with Chicago Public Schools. By bringing together multiple funders around a shared investment, the collaboration has expanded renewable energy education to thousands of students while demonstrating the impact strong partnerships can achieve.
Throughout her career, Goldberg has remained committed to ensuring students know they belong in STEM and environmental fields. “There’s no one right way to be in this work,” she said. Goldberg believes the strongest solutions to today’s biggest environmental challenges emerge when communities help shape them, not simply receive them.
Receiving the Nelson Institute Rising Star Alumni Award is, for Goldberg, both humbling and affirming. Her career wasn’t linear, but ultimately came full circle, connecting education, global health, environmental stewardship, and community impact. “The degree was meant to show all these different pathways, all these interdisciplinary lenses, so that you can make an impact in your own way.”