Gabrielle “Gabby” Hershey ’23 believes in pushing herself by taking on big challenges. That explains how she became a leader on Illinois State’s Solar District Cup Team, which took second place in its division at the 2022-23 Solar District Collegiate Design Competition. It also explains her rigorous academic journey.
Hershey grew up on a farm in Christian County and went to high school in Taylorville. She arrived on campus as an undecided freshman. Fast forward to this spring’s commencement, and she had earned two degrees—a B.S. in sustainable and renewable energy and a B.A. in economics.
“I had been accepted to St. Louis University for chemistry/pre-med and planned to go there,” she said of her decision to attend Illinois State University. “But I kind of freaked out. Two months before I came to ISU, I was looking to pick a major, and I didn’t want to do chemistry. I thought sustainable and renewable energy looked like a cool major.”
In addition to her two bachelor’s degrees, she added a minor in philosophy. This well-rounded course of study served her nicely and helped her land her first job even before she graduated. She found interest in both majors early in her college career, but the philosophy minor aligns with an unrelated interest she has in the legal profession.
“I have some lawyers in the family tree and have always been pretty good at arguing one side of a story,” Hershey said. “I took a philosophy class during COVID and thought it was cool. Maybe I’ll take the LSAT someday, but I’m not sure.”
She recently accepted a position with Vestas North America, a wind turbine company in Portland, Oregon, in its 18-month North American Leadership Trainee program. The new job starts in August, so she’ll be in the Bloomington-Normal area until the end of June. She plans to hang out and eventually pack up a U-Haul and drive west. Her parents will join her on what will be a combination moving-sightseeing trip. Hershey has been satellite-imaging the area where she plans to live to check out the neighborhood.
The job came about after Associate Professor Matt Aldeman in the Department of Technology got a message from a recruiter. He forwarded the notice to the seniors in the sustainable and renewable energy major.
“I read his email and thought, ‘This is my job,’” Hershey said. After a series of online interviews over several months, she got the offer. “Dr. Aldeman was so excited when I got it.”
The job training is designed as a rotational program. Hershey will be trained in three different positions that alternate every six months. She’s looking forward to exploring her new city and the Pacific Northwest. Her apartment’s location will allow her to walk to work.
“Being in clubs, having two majors, and all the hands-on opportunities at ISU got me my job.”
Gabby Hershey
Hershey has been a big part of Illinois State’s Solar District Cup Team’s success as she handled the financial aspect of the project. The team was provided with background information and then challenged to design a solar-plus-storage system or multiple systems to offset energy consumption/costs.
The competition tasks students from a range of disciplines—engineering, finance, urban planning, energy technology, sustainability, and others—to rethink how energy is generated, managed, and used in the real world. Of Illinois State’s five-person team of undergraduates, Hershey was proud to be the only female and thrived in the competitive environment.
“It was really cool,” she said.
As a student, she was active in both her majors, participating in the Renewable Energy Society all four years, serving as president her final year. She also participated in the Undergraduate Women in Economics, a club she joined at its inception her junior year.
Outside of school and clubs, she was one of five students who teamed with five professors to receive a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant of more than $1.3 million to develop an innovative after-school STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) program.
The name of the program, SUPERCHARGE, is an acronym for STEM-based University Pathway Encouraging Relationships with Chicago High schools in Automation, Robotics, and Green Energy. The program, which encourages a pathway to STEM and Illinois State, is funded by a four-year NSF grant, so it will continue to help underserved, low-income communities. Hershey will present a paper in Baltimore on behalf of the SUPERCHARGE team this summer at the American Society for Engineering Education Conference.
Hershey said Illinois State prepared her well. She said she loved all her professors, but a few stand out.
“I had my first class, Intro to Renewable Energy, with Dr. Jin Jo during freshman year, first semester,” she said. “I remember thinking this is a good major. He really laid out the major for you, and you learned all the topics you’d cover for your major.”
She described Aldeman as someone who knows a lot and teaches it well.
“Dr. Aldeman is the best,” she said. “My junior year, I took his technology classes—they’re very hands-on classes. He’s very easy-going and happy to be here teaching.”
Dr. David Loomis, professor of economics and co-founder and director of the Center for Renewable Energy, was another favorite. His niche is in renewable energy economics, and two of his courses were among Hershey’s top picks. She loved ECO 236, Economics of Energy and Public Policy, and ECO 255, Environmental and Natural Resource Economy.
“Energy economics is the coolest,” she said.
Dr. Susan Chen, also a professor of economics, made an impact.
“Dr. Chen just made the numbers of economics easier to understand,” Hershey said. “She’s the best at teaching the scary part of economics.”
From her Illinois State professors to her own initiative, Hershey was confident during the job-interview process.
“Being in clubs, having two majors, and all the hands-on opportunities at ISU got me my job,” she said.
In the weeks ahead, Hershey will watch the prairie and plains turn to mountains and valleys as she heads west to begin her new life and profession. She’s ready, but she appreciates all the good that came from her decision to become a Redbird.
“I’ll definitely miss the Quad and walking to classes and having the kind of easy schedule of a student, and I’ll miss a bunch of friends,” Hershey said. “But I’m excited to be going to Portland.”
