Interns in our Central and Southern offices completed their internships this month. We asked them to reflect on their summer experiences. Keep reading to hear how their internship experiences shaped them; they've got some great stories to share!
Ada Green, Central Sites Research and Education Intern
Ada is a senior at UNC-Chapel Hill, majoring in English and minoring in journalism and environmental studies. She previously attended Belmont University in Nashville, where she was a songwriting major. Music continues to be one of her favorite hobbies - she plays piano and sings in a band with some UNC friends and dabbles in guitar. Born and raised in Chapel Hill, she also loves getting outside to experience North Carolina nature.
What do you want to be when you ‘grow up’? Has this answer changed during this internship experience?
“Heading into the internship, I knew I wanted to pursue a career in environmental communication. I applied in hopes of gaining fieldwork experience, because I believe that firsthand knowledge is invaluable for any form of communication. Over the course of the summer, I’ve realized just how much research, education, stewardship and communication are intertwined. My career interest hasn’t changed, but working with the Reserve has broadened my horizons of not only the ways to communicate science, but also the kinds of stories to tell. The connections I’ve made this summer make me so excited to discover the opportunities that lie ahead.”
What opportunities/skills have you gained from this internship?
“Interning for the Reserve is unique because there are lots of opportunities for diverse experiences. Although my title is Research & Education, I’ve gotten to assist with stewardship, communications and outreach projects as well. Some examples include writing blog posts and trail maintenance, on top of my expected tasks like water quality monitoring and leading summer camps. I could list some specific skills, but I feel like the ultimate skill I learned was versatility.”
Georgia Atcheson, Central Sites Stewardship Intern
Georgia is a North Carolina native and a junior at N.C. State University. She is studying Environmental Science, focusing on marine community ecology, with a minor in Marine Science. Through her internship with the Reserve, she discovered the path she wants to pursue after graduating. She wants to work on maintaining ecosystems through marine stewardship and learn ways to communicate science to the public.
What has been your favorite part of the internship?
“My favorite part of the internship has been being on a boat almost every day and expanding my knowledge of operation, navigation, anchoring, tying knots, docking, and trailering boats! My past marine experiences have been near land and did not require boat operation, so working on an island was very special. A close second favorite experience was going in the field with NC Coastal Federation to conduct seagrass surveys, which help them make decisions on where to implement future living shoreline projects.”
What opportunities and skills have you gained from this internship?
“As a Stewardship Intern, I have earned my Boat U.S. Boating Safety Certification, learned to use power tools for site maintenance, conducted bird surveys and monitored wild horses, increasing my data collection and analysis skills. Getting to assist research and education coordinators as well, I learned to use Sondes in water quality data collection, fly drones for shoreline mapping, collect data from marsh grass surveys and take students and the public on trips to the Rachel Carson Reserve.”
What does a typical day look like during your internship?
“There is no typical day at my internship! I come in every morning, check my emails, and usually head out onto the reserve by boat shortly after. That could include a public tour of the reserve through the marsh to the beachside, picking up marine debris that was reported, trail maintenance or collecting water quality data, there is always an adventure. In the afternoon, I typically do small projects, such as entering data, creating a story map of the reserve, cleaning the boat, or whatever is needed around the site!”
LJ Hammer, Southern Sites Intern
LJ is a junior at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, majoring in Marine Biology with a concentration in conservation studies. LJ is from a small mountain town in central Virginia and loves to spend all of her free time outdoors. She hopes to pursue a career in fisheries biology or coastal conservation management.
What do you want to be when you ‘grow up’? Has this answer changed during this internship experience?
“I hope to continue a career in conservation biology. This internship has really solidified that career goal for me and further strengthened my love for working in the outdoors and learning all I can about NC flora and fauna.”
What does a typical day look like during your internship?
“A typical day in my internship usually involves being up and out on the water before anyone else. No matter how tired I may have been when I first woke up, being able to watch the sun come up as we worked was always worth it. We were hands-on and in nature usually before 7:00 a.m. every day doing sea turtle monitoring, bird banding, or fish identification. My days were always filled with new experiences and knowledge gained.”
Lizzy Ross, Southern Sites Intern
Lizzy has been passionate about marine biology, especially sea turtles, from a young age, and has had a strong desire to make a positive impact on the sea turtle populations of North Carolina. This internship gave her the opportunity to broaden her fieldwork experience and expand her knowledge and skills she will need in her future career.
What opportunities and skills have you gained from this internship?
“Going into this internship, I didn’t have much experience with fieldwork. Before this, I only focused on sea turtle patrols. Now, after everything that I learned this summer, I can confidently identify a variety of fish and bird species, have a better understanding of a variety of sampling and surveying procedures, and have a greater appreciation for all the work that goes into maintaining a Reserve site.”
What do you want to be when you ‘grow up’? Has this answer changed during this internship experience?
“Ever since I was a kid, I have known that I wanted to pursue a career in marine biology. More specifically, I am passionate about sea turtle conservation and population management and hope to continue building my career in that area. This summer strengthened my interest in fieldwork, and I realized that I want to spend most of my time collecting data and working outdoors. Although I still hope to work with sea turtles in my future career, I am more open to branching out and working with a variety of marine life after my time during this internship.”
Would you recommend this internship to others?
Ada: 100%. Without a doubt. This has been one of the best experiences of my life.
Georgia: Absolutely! This internship has given me a wide variety of experience in natural sciences and includes something for everyone. The supervisors across the NC Coastal Reserve are the extremely supportive and provide amazing opportunities for the interns across the sites.
LJ: I would absolutely recommend this internship to others and would do it all again myself if I could.
Lizzy: I absolutely would recommend this internship to others! It is such a great opportunity to gain a huge amount of experience out in the field, build upon your skills, and create relationships with the amazing staff.
Do you have any advice for future interns?
Ada: The internship truly is what you make of it. Like I said above, you’ll have a variety of opportunities presented to you, but it’s up to you whether to take them or not. Nobody will pressure you to, but if it’s something you’re even the tiniest bit curious about, go for it. You’ve got nothing to lose. Also, chat with folks who do things that interest you! People love to talk about their work, especially if they’re passionate about it – you’ll find that that’s the case with most people here, and it makes the conversations fulfilling.
Georgia: Always bring a change of clothes! Even if you’re not planning on getting in the water or sweating a lot, NC weather is another story. I have had rain pour on me at least four times! Also, enjoy every moment because the summer really does fly by.
LJ: Be excited and ask lots of questions! Take every opportunity you can as a chance to learn something new and meet new people. Being sweaty, dirty, and sandy is always worth it after the day of work is done.
Lizzy: Do as much as possible and say yes to literally everything! There are so many interesting opportunities that come up that allow you to meet some great people and learn so many things.