From Student to Environmental Auditor- the story of Nathalie Petersson
What is it like to work part-time as an environmental auditor alongside your studies? Meet Nathalie Petersson, who worked as a student environmental auditor at SLU in 2025, and hear what she learned from the audits.
Hi Nathalie!
In 2025, you worked part-time as an environmental auditor at SLU. What are you studying, and how did you find out about the student auditor position?
I’m studying the Bachelor’s Programme in Business and Economics – Sustainable Development here at SLU. I heard about the student environmental auditor position through the course Quality and Environmental Management, Advanced Theory in Organisation and Marketing, which I took at Ultuna. I found the course very interesting, and it felt exciting to combine the knowledge from my studies with more practical and real-life sustainability work.
What do you do in your role as an environmental auditor?
As a student environmental auditor, I join the other internal auditors at SLU in reviewing how the university works with environmental and sustainability issues. This includes participating in environmental audits, asking questions, reviewing documentation such as procedures, and contributing a student perspective.
What do you find most enjoyable and rewarding?
The most enjoyable part is gaining insight into how large organisations actually work with sustainability in practice, and feeling that students’ perspectives are taken seriously. It feels meaningful to contribute to improvements.
How has the job complemented your studies?
The job has given me a more practical understanding of topics we discuss theoretically in my studies, such as sustainable development, quality management and how organisations function. It has made my studies more concrete, and it’s very rewarding to see how this work is carried out in practice.
Have you gained new insights into how a university works with environmental and sustainability issues?
Yes, absolutely. I’ve gained a much clearer picture of how structured and long-term the work is, and how many different parts of the organisation are involved.
What will you take with you from the environmental auditor role into your future career?
I’m taking with me experience in auditing, analysis and the confidence to ask questions, as well as a deeper understanding of how sustainability work functions in large organisations. I believe this will be valuable regardless of my future professional role.