NSEA Certificate Programs

Being an NSEA Intern

What's it like being an intern while in school?

[Halle] I'm an Environmental Science major with a marine emphasis, and this internship really incorporated all of the aspects that I was looking for in an internship. [Lucas] It really is cool to like, you know, go to class at Western and learn something and then you come out here and like you either see what you learn or do what you learned. And I feel like that just like really helps drive home, like the stuff that you're doing, you know, like it's so much different to sit and lecture and learn versus like, oh, I'm actually planting trees to help, like a riparian area next to a river. 

What do you like about your internship?  

[Julia] I really kind of love having this experience, of like working in a group with people around my same age who have the same interests as me, completing a similar goal of like supporting the environment, supporting salmon, and also educating students.

[Savanna] My favorite part of doing the internship has been probably connecting with the community and just learning a lot more about salmon and learning, getting to actually see salmon, we did a salmon sighting where we spent a lot of time observing a bunch of chum and seeing, learning the intricacies of their behavior was really, really cool. And then just getting to do that with a bunch of excited community members.

What have you learned as an intern?

[Halle] This position definitely solidified the fact that this is the career that I want to be going into. This was my first opportunity to do work that's outside and with the environment, and I've really enjoyed it and found that this is definitely what I want to be doing.  

[Julia] I think inspiration is a huge part of what can make a difference in the future. Being able to see fourth graders get inspired about the work that we do and the work that they could do in the future and learning and hearing about them wanting to be scientists.  

[Savanna] think I've learned a lot about how science can be a part of community building and how to do really good science, you have to get the community invested.

[Kelsea] Didn't know how to properly plant things. I didn't know how to do restoration. I didn't know how to lead work parties. I didn't know how to educate the public about salmon. And I feel like I am very confident with all those things now.  

[Savanna] In terms of translation to what I can put on my resume has provided a lot of technical skills in terms of restoration. And so for a lot of my projects, I can talk about restoration.   

[Halle] I think I've gained a lot more experience leading a small group and giving instructions and interacting with the community. 

What would you say to someone interested in an internship with NSEA?  

[Savanna] I think if you're interested in restoration, if you like being outside, if you like talking to people, I mean a lot of this job is just communicating and interacting with people. If you have energy, if you like kids.  

[Kelsea] If you love working outside then this would be the thing for you. I think that's one of my favorite things is just being out in the sunshine all day, working with people outside, working with plants and animals. I feel like it really sustains me throughout the week.  

[Lucas] It's super interdisciplinary, so it attracts a lot of people. I would say like you could be interested in like obviously fish. That's a basic one. If you like fish, you get to see fish and help fish. If you're interested in forest science, you're obviously in the forest right now. You get to learn about that.  

[Halle] If you like working outside, if you like the environment, if you like interacting with people, if you're looking to do your part to make the environment a little bit better and educate others, I think I would, you should definitely consider this position.

Learn more at www.n-sea.org/flow.