Aarya Patel, LEED GA, E.I.T.

Intern

I’ve always been passionate about environmental justice and knew I wanted to work on improving infrastructure in ways that meaningfully reduce waste and expand access to reliable, affordable energy. Pursuing a career in energy efficiency allows me to contribute to the solutions of urgent issues in communities that often get overlooked in these conversations.

Aarya joined Michaels as an intern in May 2026. She will be working on the Public Schools Carbon Free Assessment Program, conducting site assessments and creating reports to improve energy efficiency and decrease costs for public schools. Prior to joining Michaels, Aarya was a Quality and Environmental, Health, and Safety Intern at Siemens.

Aarya graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign this past May with a degree in Civil Engineering. She’ll be attending graduate school in Fall at Stanford University to get her M.S. in Atmosphere/Energy. She is passionate about protecting the environment, energy equity, and conservation. She served as VP of her university’s Solar Decathlon team, working to design and build net zero homes donated to Habitat for Humanity.

In her free time, she likes to play the piano, crochet, read, hike, go to concerts, and is currently learning guitar.