From this internship experience, I think I'm starting to understand what it is that I want from a career in my future. The thing I enjoyed most about internship this year was how hands-on much of the work was. There was also a good balance of office work and field work, which made each day interesting. Since I know that I want to be a civil engineer, I just need to find out what sort of position would best suit me and my inclinations as a creative person. I know for sure from last year's internship that any job that involves sitting behind a desk all day would definitely not be a good fit for my personality and interests.
0 Comments
As I have stated in earlier blog posts, I first got the idea for this project when I was helping set up informational displays in trail kiosks with one of the park rangers. On the old display, we found an old, faded card with the words "Heat Index For Dogs" long bleached away by months of intense sunlight. Below is a picture of the original heat index: I got to know that it had been put up on the display by a trail user a while ago on that specific display and nowhere else. I read it some more, and thought that such an index might be useful for dog owners to refer to when they're taking their dogs on trails during the summer months. I decided to recreate the index as a flyer, since its small print could barely be read. Using the website Canva, I was able to reformat the information on the original index in a way that was easier to read. The goal is for this flyer to be put up in trail kiosks all over the park. Here are the slides from my internship POL:
docs.google.com/presentation/d/1_L0sH5zewukqQoSOy8WhqyUE__QWPCWZmytwpTOdhe4/edit#slide=id.p Part 1How did you make a meaningful contribution to your workplace? My way of making a meaningful contribution to my workplace was through helping with park maintenance such as replacing displays in trail kiosks, painting over graffiti, and watering some of the newly planted native plants in some areas of the park. I also helped write up some new interpretive placards for exhibits of plants and animals throughout the park. How did your project go from an idea or inspiration to a final product? A few days ago, I was helping replace one of the kiosk displays with another park ranger. Stapled to the old display was a faded placard that read "Heat Index for Dogs." I learned that one of the trail users had left it at the kiosk as an informational guide for dog owners to refer to. This is where I got the idea for my project. I decided that I would recreate this placard as a brochure or a poster. I thought that this new heat index would be a helpful thing for dog owners to have on the trails, especially during the summer months. Part 2What new appreciations did you develop while working as an intern? Why? Through this year's internship, I grew to appreciate the way people around me were so dedicated to their work, and how that showed in everything they did. It showed me that no matter what career I choose to go into, I need to genuinely take an interest in it and care about my work; in this way I would always strive for the best. How did interpersonal relationships and/or collaboration at work influence your understanding of life outside of high school? Everyone who works at the San Dieguito River Park, especially those in interpretive outreach, need to possess good communication skills as well as a sense of empathy in order to better interact with the people who use the trails, which therefore helps them make the park more user-friendly. I have personally heard my mentor say how important it is to be able to get along with people, especially when working for an organization that relies on partnerships and collaborations with the community, businesses, and other local organizations.
What are you learning about yourself as a worker in a professional environment? As a worker, I am organized and efficient. I am able to manage my time and complete the tasks I am assigned fully and thoroughly. What I like most about my internship is that every day is different in terms of activity. There are some days when I do office work, and others when I'm out in the park helping maintain kiosks, removing graffiti, and even wrangling cattle. The variability in my schedule makes each workday interesting. There's not much about my internship that I dislike, but the one thing I do dislike is the amount of busy work I'm assigned sometimes. Busy work in this case usually involves folding brochures for different trail kiosks. How would you compare your current experience to last year’s internship? What type of work are you doing that is similar or different from last year? My current experience with this internship is on the whole more hands on and less of the pen-pushing. I get to go outside and become involved in the work that's going into maintaining the park. However, there is still some element of last year's internship in that while I'm at the office I'm mostly tasked with helping format documents and working on interpretive assignments for park exhibits. How is your experience shaping your thoughts about your future career path? In college, I plan to study civil engineering with a particular focus on constructing environmentally sustainable urban infrastructure, which is why I believe that first learning about the natural environment and how it is impacted by the actions of humans is an important thing to accomplish. My internship at the San Dieguito River Park has thus far been an enriching and rewarding experience in that area, since I have been able to directly observe and learn about the uniqueness of San Diego County's natural biodiversity, and how our actions as humans impact it for better or for worse.
What are you doing/creating for your project? As of right now, I have not yet worked out what exactly it is that I will do for my project with my mentor, since I am still navigating a highly variable schedule at the park. From my most recent experiences, however, I think I may have some idea of what I can do. Thus far, I have learned much about how San Diego is a biodiversity hotspot, as well as how invasive species and rapid land development can have detrimental effects on native wildlife and their habitat as a whole. Some sort of infographic would be the best way to convey these ideas. What skills do you need in order for it to meet/exceed your mentor’s expectations? In order for this project to meet or exceed my mentor's expectations, I would have to be diligent about the way I do research for the infographic because it is important that all the information is accurate. I also need to be able to manage my time well while collecting the facts, data, and evidence. What support will you need and from whom? The support I need will mainly be coming from my teachers and possibly some of my peers for critique on my work.
My internship mentor is Leana Bulay, the manager of interpretation and outreach for the San Dieguito River Park. 1. What do you enjoy most about your job? "What I enjoy the most is making a difference in my community through my work at the park because nature is very important to me. I believe that being able to educate others and being educated is crucial for the survival of our natural environment." 2. What is a typical workday like? "My workday varies from day to day, from office and administrative work to working out in the field with students, volunteers, and the general public. The diversity of my duties and my schedule are also things that I really enjoy about my job." 3. How important is getting along with people in your line of work? "It is definitely critical to be able to maintain good relationships with people, especially when you're part of an organization like the San Dieguito River Park. Partnerships with other organizations and members of the community are a huge part of the conservation efforts that are going on here." 4. What other personality traits, skills, or knowledge are important here? "In this line of work, I'd say open-mindedness is very important, especially with new ideas. Having people skills is also crucial because we work with many different types of trail users, and we need to understand them and what they want to get out of the park in order to make it an amazing place for people to be. "
What strikes you most about your workplace? When I first walked into the main building of the San Dieguito River Park organization, I noticed how spacious and bright it was. There were many windows and doors that let in the sunlight and gave a full view of the trees, plants, and wildlife all around the office. SDRP's main building is located near Lake Hodges, which is a part of the San Dieguito watershed. It is surrounded by native wildlife, plants and animals alike, making it the ideal environment in which to learn more about nature conservation at the local level. What strikes you most about your colleagues? All of my colleagues at the San Dieguito River Park are some of the most passionate and dedicated individuals I've met. From this first day, it is clear to me that all of the work they do to keep the park functioning the way it does is driven by great care for and a sense of responsibility to the environment. I admire the fact that they all care about the impact of their work so much. What strikes you most about the job you're doing? As of right now, my job is to help maintain information kiosks all around the park. As and when the flyers and regulatory signs on these kiosks get faded or weather-worn, they are replaced with newer ones. This is part of my task. I am also helping add to the interactive aspects of the park that help people learn more about the wildlife they see. My particular job in this aspect is to write interpretive descriptions of native flora and fauna in ways that visitors can understand and relate to. What are you looking forward to during your internship? I am definitely looking forward to doing more field work in the park, and to visiting different sites where I'll be working. Every day I go to my internship, I hope to learn something new.
Where are you going?
This year, I will be doing my internship at the San Dieguito River Park. The SDRP is an independent local government agency that manages a natural open space park in the San Dieguito River Valley. Who is your mentor and what do they do? My mentor is Leana Bulay, the manager of interpretation and outreach for the San Dieguito River Park. Ms. Bulay is mainly involved in community outreach, especially with students and local volunteers. Describe your project and daily responsibilities. For two to three days out of the week, I will be doing some outdoor work, which is mainly focused on native plant propagation near the watershed. For the rest of the week, I will be working on updating park exhibits and coming up with new interactive features. What are you excited about learning during this internship experience? I am excited to learn more about how we can further educate the communities around the San Dieguito River Valley about environmental conservation and protection. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
February 2020
Categories |