Name: Robert Ford

Internship, Co-op or Research Site: Coastal Resources Inc.

Position Title: Environmental Technician

Major(s)/Minor(s): Environmental Science

Expected Graduation Year: May 2016

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

At Coastal Resources, I have had the opportunity to work on a variety of different projects across many disciplines. From simple data entry to fish surveys, I am on my toes every single day, as there is something new to learn through each job/experience. As an intern, I assisted with tasks which included wetland delineation, field surveys, and the assessment of flora/fauna across the Mid-Atlantic Region. More specifically, these projects required me to become sufficient in a multitude of tasks including data entry, taking measurements of trees, and even being able to catch fish!

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

I had been searching for an internship within the environmental field for quite sometime and had a few interviews along the way, and even a few offers for intern positions, until I came upon this opportunity. My mother told me that one of her patients at the Anne Arundel Medical Center worked for an ecological consulting company (Coastal Resources). It just so happened that they had an intern position that they wanted to fill. Through a few email exchanges and an interview, I was able to obtain the position! 

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

I have had the chance to work with some of the brightest and passionate people in the environmental field. That being said, being able to assimilate myself among these individuals has been an eye-opening experience. Although I was one of the youngest and most inexperienced people that is working at CRI, I proved to myself that a confident attitude and the desire to learn will get you anywhere, both mentally and socially.

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

I believe this has impacted me greatly, as I mentioned above. Most of all, I believe that the work that I am doing currently is going to help me pursue my love of the environment, and this has the potential to lead to other things. Within this job field, there are tons of ways to innovate and improve other's way of living, and through this, I think that we can start to tackle some of our environmental woes. 

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

Stay social. I would have never found this opportunity or even be able to get through the interview process had I not developed my social skills. I believe that hard work and searching for that next job/internship are going to help, but you need to stay social to get that opportunity, succeed in the interview process, and excel in your interactions with co-workers. We live in a socially-driven world.

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