Graduate Careers
Where Are Our Graduates Now?
CAREERS
SES graduates work in a wide variety of fields helping to advance sustainability in sectors including sustainability and energy, food and agriculture, consulting, business, ecological services, government, and nonprofits.
SES alumni hold positions such as:
| Aquatic plant ecologist, Chicago Botanic Gardens | GIS analyst, Forum Analytics |
| Biological science technician, National Park Service | Health solutions analyst, Aon |
| Business analyst, Invenergy | Horticulturalist, Lincoln Park Zoo |
| Clean Job Coalition coordinator, Illinois Environmental Council | Industrial hygienist, US Department of Labor |
| Climate change coordinator, Massachusetts Audubon Society | Lead risk assessor, Milwaukee Health Department |
| Consultant, World Wildlife Fund | Life scientist, US Environmental Protection Agency |
| Development planner, Village of Downers Grove, Illinois | Naturalist, Aspen Center for Environmental Studies |
| Energy analyst, Elevate Energy | Organizer, Sierra Club |
| Energy consultant, BH Shipping Services | Plant scientist, Harvest2O |
| Environmental educator, Cook County Forest Preserves | Program associate, Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance |
| Environmental health and safety manager, Pepsico | Regulatory analyst-toxicology, Pace Analytical Services |
| Environmental policy analyst, Illinois Department of Natural Resources | Research assistant, UChicago Institute for Population & Precision Health |
| Environmental scientist, Gabriel Environmental Services | Restoration technician, Homer Environmental LLC |
| Environmental specialist, Burns & McDonnell | Safety officer, Rush University Medical Center |
| Farmers’ market manager, Village of East Dundee, Illinois | Senior sustainability associate, Deloitte |
| Field technician, US Geological Survey | Sustainability coordinator, Live Nation Entertainment |
| Field ecologist, V3 Companies | Sustainable food specialist, Shedd Aquarium |
| Food access coordinator, The Nashville Food Project | Sustainability project specialist, Baxter International |
| Founder and CEO, WasteNot Compost | Urban farms manager, Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture |
Liam Donnelly
Founder and CEO, WasteNot Compost
In his neighborhood on the North Side of Chicago, 15-year-old Liam Donnelly was often seen biking with buckets of coffee grounds from his first job at a restaurant to his backyard compost heap. When other community businesses learned what he was doing, they wanted to hire him. And so WasteNot Compost was born.
“As a company, one of our primary missions is to make composting easier than conventional recycling and more appealing than conventional trash.”
– Liam Donnelly
Too young to drive, Donnelly initially built his business around his bike. As more customers signed up for his services, he teamed up with his high school friend Lauren Kaszuba, now the company’s chief operating officer. They eventually bought their first electric van on Craigslist.
Donnelly chose to attend Loyola because of its commitment to sustainability—and because he could continue growing WasteNot while studying at SES. Before Donnelly even enrolled at Loyola, his company’s 12 compost accounts had grown to 300.
He graduated from SES in 2020, and today, WasteNot serves more than 5,000 Chicago residents, plus a growing suburban and commercial client base. They employ 25 people and are one of Illinois’ largest electric fleets, operating 30 electric vans. More impressive, they are the largest fully electric compost collector in the country and the only one that is entirely carbon neutral.
SES alumni hold positions such as:
| Aquatic plant ecologist, Chicago Botanic Gardens | GIS analyst, Forum Analytics |
| Biological science technician, National Park Service | Health solutions analyst, Aon |
| Business analyst, Invenergy | Horticulturalist, Lincoln Park Zoo |
| Clean Job Coalition coordinator, Illinois Environmental Council | Industrial hygienist, US Department of Labor |
| Climate change coordinator, Massachusetts Audubon Society | Lead risk assessor, Milwaukee Health Department |
| Consultant, World Wildlife Fund | Life scientist, US Environmental Protection Agency |
| Development planner, Village of Downers Grove, Illinois | Naturalist, Aspen Center for Environmental Studies |
| Energy analyst, Elevate Energy | Organizer, Sierra Club |
| Energy consultant, BH Shipping Services | Plant scientist, Harvest2O |
| Environmental educator, Cook County Forest Preserves | Program associate, Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance |
| Environmental health and safety manager, Pepsico | Regulatory analyst-toxicology, Pace Analytical Services |
| Environmental policy analyst, Illinois Department of Natural Resources | Research assistant, UChicago Institute for Population & Precision Health |
| Environmental scientist, Gabriel Environmental Services | Restoration technician, Homer Environmental LLC |
| Environmental specialist, Burns & McDonnell | Safety officer, Rush University Medical Center |
| Farmers’ market manager, Village of East Dundee, Illinois | Senior sustainability associate, Deloitte |
| Field technician, US Geological Survey | Sustainability coordinator, Live Nation Entertainment |
| Field ecologist, V3 Companies | Sustainable food specialist, Shedd Aquarium |
| Food access coordinator, The Nashville Food Project | Sustainability project specialist, Baxter International |
| Founder and CEO, WasteNot Compost | Urban farms manager, Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture |
Liam Donnelly
Founder and CEO, WasteNot Compost
In his neighborhood on the North Side of Chicago, 15-year-old Liam Donnelly was often seen biking with buckets of coffee grounds from his first job at a restaurant to his backyard compost heap. When other community businesses learned what he was doing, they wanted to hire him. And so WasteNot Compost was born.
Too young to drive, Donnelly initially built his business around his bike. As more customers signed up for his services, he teamed up with his high school friend Lauren Kaszuba, now the company’s chief operating officer. They eventually bought their first electric van on Craigslist.
Donnelly chose to attend Loyola because of its commitment to sustainability—and because he could continue growing WasteNot while studying at SES. Before Donnelly even enrolled at Loyola, his company’s 12 compost accounts had grown to 300.
He graduated from SES in 2020, and today, WasteNot serves more than 5,000 Chicago residents, plus a growing suburban and commercial client base. They employ 25 people and are one of Illinois’ largest electric fleets, operating 30 electric vans. More impressive, they are the largest fully electric compost collector in the country and the only one that is entirely carbon neutral.