Savannah is the Career Center's #UMBCintern Twitter contest winner!

Name: Savannah Steinly

Internship, Co-op or Research Site: Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program

Position Title: Conservation Scholar

Major(s)/Minor(s): Chemical Engineering on the Environmental Track

Expected Graduation Year: 2018

Briefly describe your internship, co-op,  or research opportunity, including your day-to-day tasks, responsibilities, and assignments.

I participated in a multi-year program that emphasizes learning about conservation, social and environmental justice, and how to diversify the current conservation movement. The first year is structured as a course that entails exploring Washington state and coming face to face with conservation issues across a variety of landscapes and communities. We connected themes including food, water, biodiversity, and climate to culture and the PPIA model (power, privilege, identity and agency). In the process, I hiked up mountains, trekked through deserts and forests, and toured cities while reflecting, discussing, and learning how to become an environmental change-agent.  

Describe the process of obtaining your internship, research, or co-op opportunity.

I am drawn to adventure, travel, and learning new things, so I began searching for summer internship opportunities over winter break that would allow me to do so. As a freshman, I initially struggled to find opportunities that I was interested in and also had the qualifications for. Amidst this search, I received an email from the Undergraduate Research group on myUMBC outlining the Doris Duke Conservation Scholars program. The description immediately piqued my interest, and I began my application right away. While the process was somewhat lengthy (it required responses to six essay questions, a few letters of recommendation, a resume, and various other components) the effort was well worth it!

What have you enjoyed the most about your position or organization/company?

Of course, I’ve loved the variability of the program and the beautiful, eye opening sites that I’ve been privileged to travel to. The program would switch gears every week or so, and we would always experience something totally new. I encountered many different “firsts;” my first time traveling to the west coast, running through a desert (and spotting a coyote and a rattlesnake on the same day!), standing on a glacier, camping, spending the night in a Native American reservation and taking part in tribal traditions, and so much more. However, I’ve also greatly valued getting to know an amazing group of scholars from different backgrounds around and outside of the country. I found that I learned nearly as much from listening to them as I did from the program itself. 

How do you believe you have made an impact through your work?

I want to believe that I’ve made an impact during the span of the program. I think that  in terms of performing small-scale environmental remediation work and day-to-day interactions with others, I have. However, I’ve found that the main objective of the first year is to discover how to make the largest positive impact as a conservation professional, and how to make these efforts as effective and inclusive as possible. I am still searching for where I fit into the growing environmental conservation movement and how I can apply my current goal of becoming an environmental engineer or doing related work. Next year, I will make a more direct impact by undergoing the second part of this program, which involves interning for a department or organization around Seattle and undergoing a conservation research project. 

What advice would you give to another student who is seeking an internship or similar experience?

Although it may sound cliche, don’t be discouraged by the lengthiness of the application processes, and don’t count yourself out. While applying for this internships, I recognized that the odds of acceptance were not particularly high. However, someone has to get accepted, so I thought, why not me? I also think it is important to show those reviewing the application that you are very interested in and passionate about the purpose of the position you are applying for. I think that my passion for environmental conservation and the way I portrayed that through writing was a notable factor in my acceptance. 

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