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The Energy Coalition

What is the Energy Coalition?

The Energy Coalition is a student organization that works towards solidifying UH's position internationally as The Energy University. The Energy Coalition was formed to bring together students from various colleges and organizations who plan to pursue careers in the energy industry. It fosters communication and collaboration among students who, though pursuing similar career paths, may otherwise never have the opportunity to work together and learn from each other. The largest student group on campus, the Energy Coalition has 34 member student organizations and over 5,000 student members, both undergraduate and graduate, from six colleges across campus. The Energy Coalition’s Executive Board also serves as Energy Ambassadors for UH Energy.


Our Mission

We are the Energy Coalition. The University of Houston has several Colleges that excel Individually, but rarely do Colleges communicate and collaborate with one another. We are that solution. As the Energy Coalition, we are the first collaborative environment that fosters multidisciplinary communication and collaborations amongst various colleges and organizations.

We are the largest student organization on campus with over 5,000 members campus wide. With over 34 student organizations being a part of the coalition, we are a one-stop-outlet to a wide variety of multidisciplinary opinions.


Meet the EC Chair

Chopra Abhaya, Chair | Energy Coalition

Image of Energy Coalition Chair Chopra Abhaya

As the seventh chair of the Energy Coalition, Abby Chopra is focused on fostering more opportunities for energy students to make a future impact within industry. A senior pursuing bachelor’s degrees in Management Information Systems and Supply Chain Management, Chopra initially got involved with the Energy Coalition on the advice of a friend and the organization’s potential for being the glue that binds together fellow campus groups.

From there, Chopra served as the group’s vice-chair of operations this past spring and led the efforts behind the Energy Coalition Banquet – a moment she credits with cultivating her leadership skills and understanding of the Energy Coalition’s essential functions and goals. “I was really interested by the opportunities it presented to network and learn about the energy industry, as well as the goal to unite student organizations on campus through one common thread,” she said. “Getting involved has been a milestone in my academic career and I was able to learn a lot about energy, teamwork, and leadership.” Chopra and her fellow board members are aggressively planning to take the EC to greater heights during the 2022-23 school year.

The central piece of these aspirations is a three-pronged approach designed to create as many opportunities for energy Coogs to make their mark within industry. “Building off of last year’s events and ideas, we are focusing on three main goals to take the Energy Coalition to new heights: foster more multidisciplinary involvement, increase supplemental education, and provide students with more opportunities to participate in the energy field with tangible impacts,” Chopra said. In particular, Chopra pointed to one of the coalition’s newest initiatives as a strategy toward realizing these goals: the Energy Ambassador Program. Chopra said the project enables students to get involved and should create a direct line of communication to each of UH’s energy-related colleges.

Through the program, each college will internally promote opportunities and events that EC can offer, ultimately engaging students on a grand scale. “My personal goal for EC is to enable our constituents to fully take advantage of the opportunities we present and give every college and community a reason to look into energy and sustainability,” she added. “The work the board does is important with huge benefits like scholarships, networking, education, competition, and more. The more people get involved, the more we can help students and solidify UH’s position as the Energy University.”

Though Chopra has her own secondary objectives during her tenure – such as restructuring the board in a fashion that promotes more efficiency in the coalition’s day-to-day operations and improving her leadership skills – she stressed that the most important part of the coalition is ensuring that the group serves its student affiliates first and does so effectively. “We want as many students as possible to have at least one good experience in the world of energy. Coming to the Energy Coalition’s events and taking advantage of our other opportunities is one of the best ways to get involved with the organization and with the energy field,” she said. “We make our events creative, fun, helpful, and informative so students can get involved and benefit in a variety of ways. There really are participation prizes here in the form of knowledge, scholarship, experience, and being part of a community of ambitious people with a strong common interest.”


Major Recurring Events

  • Energy Career Fair - Searching for an internship or a full-time job? The Energy Coalition host Energy Career Fairs, in collaboration with University Career Services. There will be companies from every aspect of energy in attendance, looking to hire full time, part time, and interns for the energy sector.
  • Energy Night - Students will have the opportunity to learn about the Energy Coalition, the University of Houston, the city of Houston itself and how all three tie together to create the Energy Capital of the World. We host various speakers from different sectors of the energy industry. Speakers from past energy nights include Jack English - Former Exploration Manager at Chevron, Trevor Hicks - Managing Director at Stonebridge and more! We also give an opportunity for our members to win some great prizes.
  • Energy Banquet - A night of great food, networking and celebration! At the Energy Banquet we hand out scholarships and celebrate the world of energy. Our guests include students, esteemed alumni, CEO's of energy companies around the Houston area, government officials, and many more!

Major Achievements

  • Received Official Certificate of Congressional Recognition from The United States House of Representatives.
  • Largest energy-focused (independent of national chapter) student organization in the country.
  • First Ever Student Group to be honored with podium time at Houston Wildcatters Event.