Our “Employee Spotlight Series” will share with you who the people working behind the scenes to bring justice to our clients and their environments. This series will include interviews from both our Akron and Pittsburgh offices to give you an idea of who are and what we do.
The employee spotlight this week is Sarah Donahey who is one of our summer legal interns. She has been with us since June and will be interning through August. She is currently undergraduate student at the University of Pittsburgh studying Environmental Studies and minoring in dance. She grew up in State College, Pennsylvania.
Q: Tell me how you first got involved with Fair Shake?
A: Emily Collins was my professor for an Environmental Ethics class at Pitt, and she had mentioned this internship opportunity at her company, Fair Shake, and I was very interested in working for her.
Q: What is a typical day like at Fair Shake?
A: I do research on different ongoing environmental risks and impacts that occur from controversial pipelines around the country.
Q: Favorite memory from work?
A: One of my favorite memories so far was the first day I came in. I had never had any exposure to environmental law, and I got to sit in on a case meeting. It really allowed me to see first-hand how passionate the team at Fair Shake is.
Q: What's a common question you get from clients about Fair Shake?
A: What is Fair Shake and what do they do. Most of my friends have no idea that there is a whole branch to law that focuses on environmental justice and they’re always so shocked when I tell them how important it is to have this resource in Pennsylvania.
Q: What do you like most about working with Fair Shake?
A: Everyone is so nice and the work they do here is really important. It’s a good feeling working for a company that cares for people and their environment.
Q: What has surprised you most about working with Fair Shake?
A: The amount of environmental issues that did, do, and will exist.
Q: What do you wish other people knew about Fair Shake?
A: I wish people knew more about it. There are many landowners being taken advantage of by big corporations every day, simply because they don’t know where or how to seek help from to stand up against them. That’s why I was excited to take on this role; to bring exposure to an organization that many people could benefit from.
Q: Why do you think the work that you do is important?
A: With more company exposure, more people can be aware that there are more options than just letting some money-hungry company take over your right to clean air, water, and not fearing your house will explode because someone installed a pipeline in your backyard.
Q: What do you like to do when you are not working?
A: I like to be with friends, be outdoors, and take care of my two cats at home.
Q: What might someone be surprised to know about you?
A: I’ve been a ballerina, as well as other types of dance, for 16 years. Also, I’ve been learning American Sign Language for the past year.
Q: What is your favorite skill that you have unrelated to what you do at Fair Shake?
A: I’m good at remembering numbers and even memorized the first 55 numbers of pi for fun years ago.
