Two summers ago, I was working as a Lake Host for my local lake when a white Department of Environmental Services (DES) truck pulled in with their boat. When the woman in the driver’s seat hopped out of the truck, I thought to myself, I want to be her when I grow up. The woman and her intern were at the lake to map invasive plants, such as milfoil. So while they looked like they had a pretty fun job, they were also working on something I cared about — keeping the lakes healthy. I asked that day if I could shadow them. Though very busy, the woman invited me to join her when she returned to the lake the following week. That day, they returned to do similar work. We talked about school, what I was looking for in a career and the many things the DES does. Her intern was a biology major with almost identical interests which inspired me to become a biology major myself. After a memorable day, they told me to check the DES website often for summer internships. Internships were only posted for a short period of time since they were already competitive.
When the summer internships were posted, I applied to several positions. While I was aiming to work with the same woman I had shadowed, I was offered a great position in the Volunteer Lake Assessment Program. As a VLAP biologist, our primary job was to go out with the volunteers on their boats to ensure that they were sampling correctly. While out in the field, the biologists were also in charge of collecting their own samples, reassessing data and recording new data for state records and annual reports. As the biologist, I used separate equipment to determine thermal layers, take plankton samples, etc., while helping volunteers use other equipment as well as going over questions. When I wasn’t out in the field, I worked in the Limnology lab. This is where we tested our numerous samples for pH, alkalinity, turbidity, chloride, chlorophyll and conductivity. Overall, on most days, I drove a DES car from Concord to my job site, met with the volunteers, collected samples and analyzed them back in Concord. Other days, I would be in the lab running samples that volunteers brought in, analyzing parameters to assess the water quality, entering data into the computer and assisting volunteers.
Altogether, the DES offers many great opportunities to students, and I am beyond grateful for this experience. I have gained experience and skill in water quality monitoring, laboratory analysis and public education and outreach. I have networked with many great people and have close connections with my outstanding boss and coworkers. I will either return next summer or explore other options that are more wildlife-based, but I will always keep this experience close to heart. From this experience, I definitely believe I am headed in the right direction. My biggest piece of advice to students is to speak up and make connections. Having connections is very powerful when it comes to landing internships and jobs.
