May 29, 2002

Service a Way of Life for NC State Senior Tomas Carbonell

Tomas E. Carbonell, a senior at NC State University, wants to pursue a career in international environmental law. (Photo: Chethan Pandarinath)

For many folks, “service” means donating a day or two a month to a civic activity. For Tomas E. Carbonell, though, the desire to serve the public runs deeper. It influences all aspects of his life – from his choice of career to how he spends his spare time.

Carbonell is a senior at NC State University double majoring in chemical engineering and a self-constructed, multidisciplinary major called “international political economy and the environment.” This intriguing combination of majors reflects Carbonell’s broad range of interests and talents. He participates in the Benjamin Franklin Scholars program, a unique blend of engineering and humanities in a five-year, dual-degree program. Initially interested in chemical engineering because of its link to environmental issues, he hopes to use his combined major to connect engineering with policy and economics on an international level. “I’ve always been interested in international affairs, so I wanted to find a major in that field,” he said.

The past four summers have found Carbonell trying out different aspects of his career choice. He worked at NC State the summer after his freshman year, doing informational research in the Department of Business Management. To explore the laboratory aspect of chemical engineering, he worked at Sandia National Laboratories in California. He has spent two summers working in Washington, D.C., for government agencies. Most rewarding was last summer’s work with the Center for International Environmental Law. “I wanted to get a taste of what working in environmental law might be like, and I really liked it,” he said.

Carbonell’s philosophy of finding “win-win” solutions to problems, coupled with his desire to help others, leads him to take a highly pragmatic approach to environmental challenges facing our society. “Realistically speaking,” he said, “that’s the only way we’re going to make progress on these issues; you can’t favor one side or the other. Where possible, you have to find those areas where people can agree. I think that’s what really works.”

Working to find these areas of agreement within the legal system is the direction Carbonell would like his career to take. In fact, he plans to attend law school on a 2002 Truman scholarship after completing his education at NC State. “My first choice is Berkeley, because of its strong focus on international applications and environmental law,” he said.

In addition to his plan to serve the public good in his profession, Carbonell’s commitment to helping others spills over into his many volunteer activities. He puts his fluency in Spanish to good advantage as an English tutor and a general studies tutor with elementary school children in Raleigh and as a volunteer at a senior citizens’ day care center in San Sebastian, Spain, during a study-abroad year. He volunteers at the YMCA with Hispanic children, giving them an opportunity to practice their English as well as receive homework help from Carbonell. For these efforts he was awarded the Deborah S. Moore Service Award given by the NC State Center for Student Leadership, Ethics and Public Service in 2002.

Carbonell’s interest in international affairs has taken him to Guatemala, Morocco, the Dominican Republic and Spain on his scholarly and service tours. In Central America he helped build homes through Habitat for Humanity, again allowing him to combine public service with international experience.

International travel has become something of a hobby for Carbonell. “I love exploring other cultures and trying new things,” he explained. He would like to explore Latin America more, and he would like to visit India. Another hobby is reading, primarily nonfiction books about economics and world affairs. One of his recent reads was a book about civic engagement in America: Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community by Robert D. Putnam. Carbonell enjoys writing as well as reading; he was one of the founding members of Americana: A Journal of Ideas, which is an online periodical published by NC State students. Carbonell rounds out his interests by keeping fit through swimming and running and has competed in several half-marathons.

For Tomas Carbonell, the future promises to be extraordinary. He’s sure to live in interesting times, for he creates them through his cosmopolitan interests and his creative ways to apply those interests to the environment and the community around him – wherever he is.

— rudd —

/ Inner Views Index / Inner Views Archives Index /