Name: Molissa Udevitz
Internship, Co-op or Research Site: Alaska Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry
Location of the Organization (City, State): Palmer, Alaska
Title of Your Position: Squad Leader Intern II
Major(s)/Minor(s): Double Major - Environmental Studies and Dance
Expected Graduation Date (Month & Year): May 20151. Briefly describe your internship, co-op, research or service-learning position/assignment, including your day-to-day tasks and responsibilities.
I work with a crew of nine other interns on various natural resource management projects. We spend each day out in the field working on projects such as invasive plant surveys and removal, stream bank restoration, and fuels reduction. As one of two Squad Bosses, I help supervise other crew members and projects as well as assist with communication between our intern supervisor and the crew.
2. What have you enjoyed the most about your position or organization/company and what have you found most challenging?
The best part of my internship is that I get to work on a variety of projects and meet different professionals while completing these projects. I have had the opportunity to meet, work with, and ask questions of professionals who work for both nonprofits and the public sector in natural resource management related jobs.
The most challenging part of my internship is identifying with my fellow crew members. As the only college student on the crew, I have different priorities and goals than the other interns. However, spending time with people unfamiliar to the college environment has exposed me to a new perspective.
3. What have you gained from your experience that you could not have gained from another summer activity?
I am fortunate my internship is designed to be educational for interns, and I don’t think another summer opportunity would have provided me with the same variety of experiences as this internship has. Where else could I have given a presentation on invasive plants to youth, learned about forestry inventory and timber sales, attended a community weed-pull event, become wildland fire-fighter certified, and gained leadership experience as a Squad Boss?!
4. How do you see your summer work as meaningful? Has it given you a chance to work on issues or with communities that matter to you?
My summer work has been meaningful because the projects our crew completed will have a lasting positive impact on the environment. For example, by restoring stream banks, we improved salmon access to spawning grounds. Some of our other projects, such as making a trail from a campground to a river handicap accessible, will allow people to further enjoy nature for years to come.
5. How has your summer experience shaped the way you think about your power to impact the world? This might involve skills you’ve gained, information you’ve learned, mentors you’ve connected with, or projects you’ve completed.
Before this summer, I knew I wanted to help solve some of the environmental challenges our world faces, but these problems often seem insurmountable. I wasn’t sure if I would be qualified or capable enough to do this. This internship introduced me to people who are working to help the environment one project at a time. I’ve realized that I don’t need to come up with a grand solution; I can join this network of people, and all our individual projects will add up to have a large, positive impact on the environment.