Wow. Just like that, the summer has passed. I complete an internship of a lifetime next week. It’s bittersweet – but I am very proud of what I have accomplished despite my initial feeling of uncertainty. Call me cliché, but I never saw myself coming so far. I graduated with a B.S. in Biology three years ago in hopes to join the environmental field. I took a leap of faith and applied to a M.S. in Environmental Science program two years ago. With a shiny new GPA and internship in tow, I applied to everything I could a year ago. Here I am. I am just like you: I have been discouraged, rejected from jobs, inexperienced in a new field, and worried about achieving success. It makes me teary-eyed just thinking about it. In the span of this 11-week fellowship, I have learned the basics of data management, familiarized myself with water quality parameters, and organized two community outreach events for Latino Conservation Week (LCW).

I’ve always seen learning as an “inside scoop.” I am one of those “Did you know __ is because of __?” people. I remember learning about orogenesis, or mountain-building events, and looking at a map of the world. Or the time I was taught about river evolution, how and why rivers meander, and further learning the differential erosion of rocks controlling the meander. So, my ears perked when I was given a project in data management. It was overwhelming at first, but it’s times like this where you remember where you once began and aspired to be. My advanced scientific thinking is a huge fan of the phrase, “if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it is most likely a duck,” but simultaneously ponders the contradictory thought of whether I am lucky or deserving of where I am.

I have learned so much this summer! Planning LCW events encouraged leadership and persistence, allowing me to engage with like-minded and aspiring environmentalists. The project I was given forced me to work from the ground up and ask questions. It taught me more than technical skills. It exposed me to the differing hydrologic conditions of subarctic climates versus the humid subtropical I was familiar with. I received advice, insight, and kindness from natural resource professionals. The remote-working aspect of the internship did not discount all I have gained. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Photo by Nina Marti. MANO West Coast Camping Trip, Los Padres National Forest. 

Cover photo by author. MANO West Coast Camping Trip, Los Padres National Forest. 

Agency: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Program: US Fish & Wildlife Service - DFP

Location: Alaska Regional Office

“You want to go into water management. What does that mean?”

I could not tell you how many times I have been asked what a career in water entailed. Water is fundamental to all life but is often exploited, manipulated, and misunderstood. From my experience, it seems as if the public understanding behind hydrology is typically unknown. So, I strived to highlight water education and sustainability while brainstorming an event for Latino Conservation Week (LCW).

My LCW event will be an outdoor showing of the documentary DamNation while creating a sustainable DIY. Once seen as a clean alternative to fossil fuels, the documentary highlights the destructive nature damming has on ecosystems and cultures. I hope this event can spark curiosity in others to learn more about hydrology. Beyond the “what” and into the “why.” A geology class is what began my interest.

As I reached the halfway mark with Alaska’s Water Resources Branch (WRB), I have experienced the huge dichotomy between hard and soft skills in the workplace. Curiosity and grit are highly esteemed in the Service. I had to switch my mindset from searching for technical steps to solving a unique task. I came into a role focused on data management without knowledge about the subject. It has been very challenging but equally rewarding. It has been so fulfilling to be excited about learning new things in the field. What I lack in skill I make up for in enthusiasm.

I chose to pursue a career in environmental science because it was a mix of my interests: science, sustainability, conservation, and stewardship. I asked my team at the WRB why they chose to pursue a career in environmental science. Their responses: “To help save the world!” “I have always felt a connection with nature and figured this would be a good way to both experience nature and help to protect it at the same time.” “I liked (and still do) wandering through the woods more than walking down the street.” “My natural curiosity and growing up playing in the outdoors steered me towards the field.”

It appears working for the Service is much more than a job. If you’re looking for a sign to follow an interest, this is it.

Learn more about LCW at latinoconservationweek.com.

Agency: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Program: Directorate Fellows Program

Location: Alaska Regional Office

Pause for 10 seconds and think of the first scenario that comes to mind when you think of the word “access.” What do you access every day? A lifetime of access, positive or negative, led you to where you are now. It is a word I hear in passing but never thought about how much it intertwined in my life. Recently, I noticed it as the center of what has brought me to work and do for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Water Resource Branch in Anchorage, Alaska. Somebody pinch me.

I found comfort in choosing to pursue an environmental science career but felt directionless as a first-generation college student seeking to find her place. It seemed as if I was always one step behind my peers. Where do you begin with the endless opportunities the world has to offer? The MANO Project lined up with my identity as a Latina in STEM. A sigh of relief. An organization with the immigrant in mind. I do not think I would have been able to see myself working towards such a meaningful career without the bridge of access the Hispanic Access Foundation built. 

I am creating a protocol to manage water quality data alongside an amazing team. Although a data management plan might sound like a formality within an agency, it is mainly for the accessibility of others. Standards and procedures in place help us increase scientific transparency by producing clear, organized, and accurate data to the public. Data is our most valuable resource, especially as a region that holds some of the largest wildlife refuges. The world is changing! 

We live in a time where an abundance of information is at our fingertips. How do you believe this accessibility has impacted you? I ask again, what does “access” mean to you?

Agency: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Program: US Fish & Wildlife Service - DFP

Location: Alaska Regional Office

Beatrice is a second-year Environmental Science graduate student at The University of North Texas. She considers herself an interdisciplinary student, with experience in biology, environmental science, hydrology, and geography. She received her B.S. degree in Cellular and Molecular Biology from Stephen F. Austin State University in 2018. She is now studying under UNT’s Department of Geography and the Environment's hydrologist Dr. Feifei Pan. Her thesis focuses on the impacts of urbanization and climate change on sediment yield and water quality in North America. Her future career goal is to work for a water resource planning and management agency in the public sector as a hydrologist.