SDSU NextGen

Reflecting on the highlights of 2025, we celebrate a year filled with transformative student internships, impactful research, and vibrant community milestones.

We are deeply grateful to the NextGen team, our partners, and the community for their collaboration and invite you to stay tuned for even more sustainability and growth in 2026.

Happy New Year!

Sorting holiday waste can be confusing, so we made it easy! Use this straightforward guide from NextGen at SDSU to make your post-holiday cleanup hassle and stress-free. ♻️✨

Swipe through to see what goes where! 👉

Keep in mind that some items (like glitter or mixed materials) can be tricky. If you’re ever unsure about a specific item, a quick search online for local San Diego guidelines can help clear up the specifics!

Save this post for future reference! Happy holidays!

Wait, is it December already? 😅 With the holidays rapidly approaching, the pressure to shop is real.

Check out our 5 easy tips to gift sustainably during this holiday season!

Whether it’s an experience-based gift or a DIY masterpiece, we’re showing you how to spread joy without the waste. ♻️

Warmest holiday wishes from the NextGen team! ✨🎉

As the year comes to a close, we’re looking back on a season of incredible progress and collaboration. We are so grateful to our partners, students, and community for your dedication to creating a more sustainable future. Thank you for being the heart of everything we do.

May your holidays be full of inspiration, rest, and excitement for what’s to come. 🌟💚

We’re excited to keep building momentum — and we’re looking for a Social Media Manager Intern to help us share stories, highlight opportunities, and amplify sustainability across SDSU and beyond.

Interested? Reach out to Kristofer Patron-Soberano ([email protected]) to learn more.
Paid internship | Open to all majors 🌱
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Thank you to everyone who joined us for the Sustainable Food Systems Info Session! 💚
It was inspiring connecting with students, faculty, and community members who care about the future of food, sustainability, and cross-border collaboration.

Make an impact this Spring 🌱 BrightSide Produce is looking for interns to help support local food access while gaining hands-on experience in sustainability, operations, and community food systems.
Apply by Nov 24, 2025.

CAL 400: Binational Approaches to Sustainable Food Systems
Our global food system faces urgent challenges with sustainability, food access, and environmental impact. CAL 400 explores these issues through the lens of the U.S.–Mexico border region, highlighting the work of farmers, retailers, consumers, and grassroots organizations building more resilient food systems.

Open to undergraduate and graduate students
Questions? Contact Prof. Pascale Joassart-Marcelli at [email protected]

Through her NextGen internship, Mena Essa explored Indigenous communities, family farms, and research labs in Mexico. She gained hands-on experience with food systems, sustainability, and water challenges as well as helping restore a mural and learning words from the Kumeyaay community.
This fully funded opportunity gave her the chance to ask questions, learn through trial and error, and grow both personally and professionally. P Her story shows how NextGen internships open doors for students to connect their studies to real-world issues while building confidence and career skills.

🌱 Edible Garden: The Edible Garden at SDSU Imperial Valley is a NextGen SDSU initiative created in collaboration with the . The garden grows fresh, organic vegetables right on campus while serving as a hands-on learning space where interns gain experience in planting, harvesting, and sustainable farming practices. All produce supports the Food Pantry, providing students with healthy, accessible food options and promoting sustainability.

Environmental Science senior Jazlyn Piera spent her summer in Dr. Changqi Liu’s lab working with Black Soldier Fly larvae, testing protein and nitrogen levels, and experimenting with compost tea on beet microgreens.

Her internship showed her how research connects directly to sustainability and gave her hands-on lab experience she’ll carry into her future career.

Learn more about opportunities like this through NextGen internships.
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