So, my internship has ended, and it is time to reflect…

It was amazing! I was really impressed with what a valuable experience my internship turned out to be. I spent most of my summer conducting Mexican spotted owl habitat validation surveys. Myself, a fellow intern, and a BLM biological techncian ground-truthed about 30,000 acres worth of a GIS model that was used to predict all of the potential MSO habitat on the Arizona Strip. The great thing about this project was that it wasn’t just about hiking around staring at cliffs, we got to use our brains. I used GIS to glance at the areas we would be visiting, develop travel plans, and make maps to be used while we did our site visits. Driving out to these places was an experience in itself. Sometimes when I was bouncing down these roads like a hillbilly rock-crawler-in-training I thought to myself “Wow, I think I must have driven on some of the worst roads in the country at this point”. Then I would think about all of you fellow CLMers and wonder who REALLY drove the worst road in the country this summer. I bet it was one of us.

One of my favorite things about my internship was my mentor. Coolest lady ever, lots of amazing experience and really committed to helping my fellow intern and I achieve our career goals. I think one of the most valuable things this internship offers is the opportunity to work with someone who isn’t just a boss, but a real mentor. That’s exactly what recent college grads need. Someone to help give them ideas, tips, and a good word to future employers.

Now that I am in the process of interviewing for jobs again, I’m finding that the experiences I gained as a CLM intern have helped me feel confident when I tell people about my work experience, and also that employers are really excited to hear about what I have done. What an amazing feeling! The past five months have really served as jump-start for my career as a wildlife biologist, which is exactly what I hoped this internship would do for me.

It was a pleasure to have met all of you at the training workshop this summer, and to read about your adventures around the country. I wish all of my fellow interns the very best of luck in their careers. Remember, you guys are all awesome field biologists now, go out there and use what you’ve learned to make a difference!