The Student Experience:
Students will be matched with a conservation organization and assigned an internship project that falls in line with their interests and academic goals. This cohort will focus on real life natural resource management issues while working with prominent conservation organizations in Vermont.
In previous semesters, students in this COP cohort have worked with the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources Climate Action Office, Vermont Department of Fish & Wildlife, Vermont Land Trust, the Intervale Center, Audubon Vermont, and the Bristol Trail Network, among others. Examples of successful projects include trail maintenance, designing outreach to inform the public about species of concern, monitoring for invasive species, and developing forest management plans for town forests.
Students are encouraged to bring project ideas and internships of their own to class and will be given bonus points for doing so. Working knowledge of GIS highly encouraged, but not required. If field work is desired as a part of the internship, it is helpful to have either a flexible schedule or weekly blocks of time available to commit to working out of the office.
Time commitment: Throughout the semester, students will be expected to work on their projects 8-10 hours a week and attend class meetings with other students in this cohort. The class sessions will help make connections between the internship project, previous academic experience, future conservation career goals, and a personal land ethic.
Program Objectives:
After completing this course, the student will be able to:
1. Analyze community contexts and understand current issues within various conservation organizations and issues across Vermont.
2. Communicate experiences gained through working with professionals, organizations, and real-world experience.
3. Understand how their relationship with the natural environment and their personal experiences can help develop a sense of their own personal land ethic.
4. Develop important job-search and professional skills (e.g., resume and cover letter writing, researching employment opportunities, etc).
Morrocoy National Parks; the two “outdoor” environments that first introduced her to adventure, camping, and environmental stewardship. She went on to attend Florida State University where she pursued a B.S. in Political Science and a B.A. in English. With the lack of environmental education in her repertoire, Ariana decided to pursue a Master of Science at the University of Vermont. Here, she studied the effects of community supported agriculture and the impact these have on people’s attitude towards local food systems. She then obtained her Ph.D. in Natural Resources at the University of Vermont. Ariana’s main passion is teaching about social justice and community movements. Ariana is a firm believer of grassroots movements, social justice, and political action. In her free time, you can find Ariana biking (either mountain or road because bikes are just awesome), playing volleyball, kayaking, and swimming. In the winter, she misses the warmth of the tropics but gets by snowboarding.