The Conclusion of a Summer’s Voyage

28 Jul The Conclusion of a Summer’s Voyage

As the Summer comes to a close and my Senior year of college approaches. I can’t help but think I’ll miss this park that I’ve come to enjoy so much. This summer has truly been a wonderful experience filled with many fun adventures. From my first ever canoe trip down Cedar Creek. To hiking along Cedar Creek to get to stretches of the creek that probably haven’t been fished in years. Catching new fish species that I could never catch back home in the deserts of Arizona. This summer was not only amazing due to the amazing natural environment but also because of the amazing coworkers I worked with. My supervisor David Shelley and co-supervisor Claudia Santiago helped me throughout the entire internship process. They were always looking to lend a helping hand and answer any questions I had about the various projects I was working on. In addition, the work I was doing outside of my fishing expeditions was also incredibly fulfilling. The development of the fishing management plan was a much longer process than I initially imagined. Collecting and compiling information from various sources like scientific papers, local anglers’ experiences, and local bait shops’ knowledge was an interesting but satisfying task. It helped me develop a new skill at parsing out important information as quickly and efficiently as possible. Also, my ability to understand and digest scientific papers has surely increased. Which is something that I will definitely use in my future endeavors. However, the most important thing I will take away from this internship is the confidence in my ability to work in the professional world. This internship was my first opportunity to take the knowledge and skills I learned from school and apply them in a real-world setting. So, all I can say to those that helped make this experience possible is Thank You! This was a voyage I will never forget!