Summer Reflections

01 Aug Summer Reflections

For many, the end is approaching since many internships are in their last week of work. For some others like me, after the career event in Washington, D.C., we will return to our parks to continue working. The past 11 weeks have been full of learning and adventures. I cannot express enough my gratitude for the opportunity to participate with Mosaics in Science Diversity Internship 2019. I want to thank Lima Soto, who recommended I apply to the program when I met her in a career event at the GSA annual meeting 2018, to Sheylda Diaz for her support and motivation, to the National Park Service, Environment of the Americas, and Greening Youth Foundation supervisors for their guidance and help. Also, special thanks to The National Park Service’s Southeast Arizona Group (SEAZ) and my coworkers, to my supervisor Jessica Garcia, to the Geoscientist in the Parks (GIP) interns Erica Doody and Brooke Kubby, and to my roommates Estefanía Ramírez, and Vanessa Wyns.

Through the internship, I was able to develop professionally, learned many new skills, and developed my knowledge on doing research. I learned how important conservation work is, and how difficult it is to do by all the great people in these parks. Many of them are always writing grants to be able to fund important projects simply so the public gets the best experience possible. There are always many projects going on at the same time. During the summer I worked with bat mist-netting, air quality monitoring, groundwater protocol, wet and dry mapping, placing acoustic monitoring devices for barking frogs, graffiti removal at Coronado cave, spring water monitoring, on top of my main project the Unstable Slope Management Program (USMP) for federal land management agencies. Beyond this, I know will be participating in more different projects in the next 12 weeks. Finally, it has been a great honor that my supervisor requested an extension for me after this internship. This has been the best work experience I have had, and I learned how happy it makes you to find what you are passionate about.