I hope that my experience demonstrates the value of external internships through the Center for Climate Action and Sustainability for any Evergreen students considering climate-related careers.

Ali, CCAS Intern – SPring 2022

Internship experiences are an important element in experiential learning and can have transformative effects on students (and faculty and supervisors). The CCAS has been lucky enough to support 15 student interns over the past year (Spring 22 – Spring 23), some working for multiple quarters. We wanted to highlight some of the recent student comments about their experience and how it helped them in their climate career pathways.

Internships can also help students learn about climate action from a variety of sectors and perspectives. One primary way is to apply classroom and lecture-based knowledge in real word settings and participating in climate change work. Corey, a Master of Environmental Studies student and CCAS Intern with the Thurston Climate Action Team explained this quite well when he stated: “This internship has given me a newfound appreciation for citizen involvement in climate action. I was able to interact with volunteers and gained an understanding of how important invested locals are in making a difference at the city and county level. This experience cemented the importance of organizations that support the enthusiasm and skills that volunteers can bring to climate action.” Similarly, Angelica an undergraduate student and CCAS Intern with TCAT explained that internships helped connect to community. These sentiments were echoed by many CCAS interns as they search for opportunities to connect with local community for climate action and educational experiences.

I am very grateful for the opportunity of this internship, particularly because I was able to directly impact conservation efforts in my community and contribute to climate action efforts. The work to save legacy forests is imperative. I hold my head high knowing that I was able to transition my corporate operational experience into climate change mitigation efforts with relative ease.

Justin, CCAS Intern – Summer 2022

Students also gained and applied professional skills during their internship experience. Justin, an undergraduate student with many years of professional experience in business start-ups, had applied many of his skills to a new passion related to legacy forest preservation for enhanced carbon sequestration and biodiversity. Justin’s work made a significant impact on the non-profit organization he interned with, including rebuilding social media accounts, developing a social media workflow guide, organizing events, and helping with strategic planning, ultimately leading to significant increase in public engagement.

While these are only a brief look into the internship experiences of a few students, we are proud to say that the CCAS has made significant impacts. We are committed to continue to provide student opportunities for internships across sectors from local government to non-profit organizations to local sustainability businesses. Our focused efforts contribute to the professional development of students, workforce development, and educational experiences that have lasting effects long after students’ time at Evergreen.

The internship was an outlet for me to learn more about my community, ultimately helping me feel more connected to it through learning about local policy and the people working to improve it. I felt gratified by the work I was doing and was happy to be involved in working in climate action.

Angelica, CCAS Intern – Summer 2022

As we look to expand these programs, we are always on the lookout for new partners and collaborators. If you are interested in hosting an Evergreen student to work with your organization, please get in touch.