Texas Southern’s Auset R. Steps Into Sustainability Leadership at VLS

As the urgency of climate change and environmental justice continues to shape national policy and corporate responsibility, a new generation of changemakers is stepping forward, among them is Texas Southern’s student Auset R, selected as one of just six students nationwide for the prestigious internship program at VLS Environmental Solutions, Auset brings the academic rigor, leadership, and perspective honed at Texas Southern into one of the country’s leading sustainability and waste management firms.

This opportunity places her at the forefront of a national effort to prepare underrepresented voices for leadership in environmental science, engineering, and policy, fields where both diversity and innovation are urgently needed. Alongside interns from institutions like Prairie View A&M, Texas Tech, and Clemson, Auset represents not only Texas Southern, but a rising generation of Black and Brown STEM leaders making a mark in industries long overdue for transformation.

Internships like the one offered by VLS are more than just stepping stones, they’re a gateway into the complex, high-stakes world of environmental problem-solving. For Auset, it’s a chance to translate classroom learning into real-time action, contributing to solutions that impact communities and ecosystems alike.

Her selection is also part of a broader story: one in which Texas Southern continues to emerge as a pipeline for talent in high-demand, high-impact sectors, from environmental engineering to sustainability consulting, climate policy, and beyond.

As the country increasingly looks to historically Black colleges and universities for the next generation of scientists, engineers, and leaders who reflect the diversity of the nation itself, Texas Southern students like Auset are proving they belong at the table, and often, at the head of it.