Kiyomi Morris began her City Light career in 2015 as an intern in the Environmental, Land & Licensing business unit, and she’s been with the utility ever since. “As an intern, you get to know the utility industry and learn from all of the wonderful people working here. I had a great experience, and I get excited every time I run into someone from my cohort!”
Born and raised in Washington, Kiyomi grew up on a small lake in the Maltby area with her mom, sister, and grandparents. “As kids, my sister and I spent a lot of our time outdoors – swimming, fishing, and exploring,” she shared. “My mom eventually found us a place of our own, but my grandma kept my childhood home and finally sold it this year.”
In this week’s (spot)Light, Kiyomi shares more about her work at City Light, her love for frozen sweet treats, and what initially brought her to the utility.
“I went to the University of Washington, where I received an interdisciplinary degree in environmental studies. It’s a great mix of the natural and social sciences, and it pairs perfectly with the work I do here at City Light. Among other things in my role at the utility, I help facilitate the tracking, reporting, and emission reduction of one of City Light’s most potent greenhouse gasses. Right now, I’m in a temporary out of class role overseeing the tracking and reporting of all emissions associated with City Light’s business. This role also includes policy work and maintaining City Light’s greenhouse gas neutral status. The work requires me to interact with different people across the utility, and I learn so much from everyone I get to work with – whether it’s something about them or about the work they do for the utility.”
“I currently live on Beacon Hill in a house that was originally owned by my great grandparents. I love how many memories I have in this house, and I’m grateful it’s still in the family. It has a beautiful backyard that our dog loves to run around in. The backyard also has several trees and plants, so we have peaches, Asian pears, plums, apples, and cherries. When we were young, my sister and I would spend weekdays here in the summer with my great grandparents. My extended family is also very tight knit, we all live in the area. Almost every Sunday, the whole family would gather at the Beacon Hill house for dinner.”
“My favorite activity is eating ice cream! I bought an ice cream machine last year so that I can make it all the time. I love to cook and bake, too – I like to think that I balance out all of the ice cream and food with all the hiking and backpacking we do. My partner Peter and I also like to fish and sail. He also loves to tinker with things, so I find myself helping out on many projects. Over the past year, we restored his grandfather’s old boat fishing boat – we finished just in time to enjoy the summer this year!”
“I was attracted to City Light’s impressive environmental reputation. I also knew I wanted to work in a place that would challenge me – somewhere I would feel like I was learning something new every day. Thankfully, I found that here. I get to work for a place that challenges me and allows me to learn and meet new people. I don’t think there is anything else I could ask for. Everything about this place is interesting to me! City Light holds a never-ending pit of information, and I absolutely love it.”