Any internship where you can look outside your office window and see wild dolphins swim by on a daily basis is a winner in my book. As awesome as this is on its own, the real selling point of my work at Reef Check is knowing that what I’m doing here is directly benefiting them, in addition to thousands of other marine species. I have been passionate about sustainability and ocean conservation since childhood, and have since realized that I want to direct myself toward a career aimed at protecting the environment. What better way to start than spending the summer interning at an international non-profit for marine and reef conservation?
Since Reef Check is headquartered in Pacific Palisades (Los Angeles), CA, and could only offer me an unpaid position, this was easier said than done. Even after I had overcome the original hurdle of obtaining the internship, I faced some serious logistical obstacles. At first I didn’t think I would be able to accept the position; concerns about moving across the country for three months, finding an apartment, figuring out how to support myself etc. all loomed large. Fortunately, the College of the Liberal Arts, the Department of Political Science and the Schreyer Honors College all contributed funds, allowing me to make the most of this exciting opportunity. The work I do at Reef Check covers a broad range of activities, so I am able to dabble into the various inner workings of a non-profit. Some of my time has been concentrated on compiling Reef Check’s Annual Report, which summarizes the organization’s fundraising, research, conservation and public awareness efforts for 2010; I have also worked on editing the articles for the monthly newsletter that arrive from various Reef Check offices around the globe, putting the editorial skills I developed working for Onward State, the independent news blog, to good use. A significant portion of my efforts have gone toward increasing the organization’s social media following on Facebook and Twitter, and thus far the results have been very promising. My latest project is preparing an online-fundraising campaign called 71 %, named after the amount of the earth’s surface that is covered in water, so stay tuned for the upcoming launch!
I am enjoying my experience at Reef Check tremendously. It is is very rewarding to work with a group of people who are clearly not it in it for the money; they work because they are passionate about the cause, and nothing could be more inspirational.