We have 7 interns this summer and we wanted to make sure they had the chance to tell our great supporters about what they’ve been up to! Check back each week to hear from them…
My name is Sandhya! I am a rising junior at University of Alabama at Birmingham majoring in Biology and on a fast track to a Master’s in Public Health. My primary interests are wildlife conservation and rehabilitation. My summer internship at Coosa Riverkeeper has allowed me to expand my passion of environmental protection and promotion. I am able to simultaneously take a course on environmental factors of public health and apply what I learn in that class to the work I do in my internship. As an Outreach and Program Intern at Coosa Riverkeeper, I have had the opportunity to write a curriculum for Coosa’s youth outreach programs, conducted those youth outreach programs, as well as assisted in a variety of fundraising events.
So far, this experience has been absolutely enriching, as I am able to incorporate the concepts I learn in a classroom into conversations I have with the public as I educate them about the importance of protecting and promoting our rivers. My current project is building a Game Fish Guide for our Coosa River fishermen to utilize. This project is especially captivating for me because I have the opportunity to delve into my passions of ecology and biodiversity. A future project that I am excited to start working on is building a virtual map of attractions and sites along the Coosa to help promote its recreational use to the public. By supplying information that helps citizens utilize our Coosa River, we are building a foundation of individuals who feel responsible for the protection and conservation of the river. I have absolutely loved coming into an office with a great, positive atmosphere, and working alongside peers who share the same passions and interests as me. I have learned so much from Justinn just within these past few weeks and I am so grateful to her and Frank for helping their interns build valuable and transferable skill sets and providing them with such enriching experience.