Driving Impact: How McDonough is Helping Me Bridge Sustainability and Small Business Support

This story is part of the Student Voices series, which provides a firsthand perspective of the student experience at Georgetown McDonough.

Andrea Lizarzaburu (MS-ESM’25), a McDonough Student Ambassador, is pursuing a Master of Science in Environment and Sustainability Management (MS-ESM), a joint degree with Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, in collaboration with the Earth Commons Institute.

Lizarzaburu is part of the Small Business Corps (SBC), a program facilitated by Georgetown’s Business for Impact that provides pro-bono consulting services to small businesses in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) region. Here, Lizarzaburu shares how this experience has broadened her perspectives on sustainability and business strategy.

Before coming to Georgetown, I spent a decade working in international development, focusing on two key areas: helping small businesses and entrepreneurs access the resources they need to grow and, more recently, working with governments to engage private companies in climate adaptation initiatives. While this work was incredibly fulfilling, I wanted to deepen my expertise in sustainability — understanding not just the challenges, but the business solutions that could drive real impact.

That’s when I found Georgetown’s MS-ESM program. The degree stood out to me not only for its rigorous blend of science and management courses — equipping me with the skills to tackle complex sustainability challenges — but also because it is housed within McDonough, a business school known for its exceptional education and influential network of faculty, students, and alumni.

Beyond the academics, what truly excited me about McDonough was its Business for Impact initiative. Having spent years supporting small businesses, I wanted to stay connected to that world. Through the Small Business Corps (SBC), I found the perfect opportunity. The SBC allows business students to act as consultants for small businesses based in Washington, D.C., helping them navigate growth, strengthening their financial strategies, or refining their marketing efforts. It’s a hands-on way to apply business knowledge while directly supporting the entrepreneurs who keep the DMV area thriving. Moreover, the SBC is a partner of the Boston Consulting Group and through that partnership, we get access to training and the support of a coach.

I was matched with an incredible company called TBG Trains, founded by Vivica Brooks, a D.C. native with a passion for helping people reach their full potential through education and training. Alongside Ohm Rattanapun, a first-year MBA student from Thailand, we’ve had an amazing experience working with Brooks — diving deep into her business to help streamline operations, gain a clearer picture of her costs, and develop a lead acquisition strategy to attract new clients.

This experience has reinforced something I’ve always believed: sustainability isn’t just about environmental conservation, it’s also about creating resilient and thriving business ecosystems. For small and medium-sized enterprises to drive innovation and tackle pressing social, economic, and environmental challenges, they need the right support to scale. This is especially true for businesses founded by underrepresented entrepreneurs, including Black- and women-owned businesses like Brooks’. As a social entrepreneur, she’s not just running a business — she’s actively working to close education gaps for D.C.’s most vulnerable populations. Helping her refine her business strategy has been a privilege and a powerful reminder that sustainability and business impact go hand in hand.

The MS-ESM program is an interdisciplinary, 10-month program designed to equip students with both scientific and business acumen, preparing them to lead in the rapidly evolving sustainability space. As organizations worldwide grapple with the realities of climate change, the demand for professionals who can bridge business strategy and environmental impact has never been greater. Climate change isn’t just an environmental issue — it’s an economic and social one, slowing growth and undermining our ability to achieve shared global priorities like health, security, and equity. The need for action is urgent, and I’m grateful to be part of a program that empowers students to drive real change.

Being a Hoya and part of the McDonough School of Business has been an incredible journey. The school’s Jesuit values emphasize not just academic excellence, but also the responsibility to serve others and create meaningful impact. Through experiences like the  Small Business Corps, I’ve had the chance to put these values into action — helping entrepreneurs, supporting communities, and preparing for a career where sustainability and business intersect. I can’t wait to see where this journey takes me and how I’ll put these skills to work in the real world.

-Andrea Lizarzaburu (MS-ESM’25)