Throughout high school and college, Eleanor Branch’s overarching goal for her future was to contribute to the world in a positive manner. After starting at Stanford University in the fall of 2001, she quickly realized that addressing the world’s energy issues was what she wanted to pursue. As a result, she tailored her education towards the study of efficiency in the production and use of energy. Her concern for humanity and wish to contribute to the world through providing cleaner, more efficient power and energy services led to an internship at the Rocky Mountain Institute.In this position, Eleanor analyzed utilities’ future power generation mix, the associated economic costs, and carbon emissions in general. She also worked at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center through Howard University’s GoHFAS program. As a 2006 graduate of Stanford University’s Civil and Environmental Engineering Master’s Program, Eleanor Branch has worked as an energy engineer at Newcomb Anderson McCormick in San Francisco. She is currently an MBA candidate in Harvard’s Business School.

Eleanor Branch’s commitment to making the world a better place is also reflected in her actions at the local level. At Stanford, she tutored local disadvantaged middle school students three times a week, as well as volunteered at the local Boys and Girls Club and other education oriented programs. Additionally, Eleanor participated in the planning of an energy efficient, “Green Dorm” that Stanford is building for student housing.

Finally, Eleanor Branch is deeply respectful of cultural differences among people due to her own diverse ethnic background and her experiences abroad. During her sophomore year in high school, she studied for a year in Fukuoka, Japan on a Tsuzuki International Scholarship. She lived with local Japanese students and with others from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Taiwan, and Brazil. Throughout college she continued to educate herself about other cultures, traveling throughout Latin America.