by Qiuandra Taylor, Facilities Management intern
I started my internship for the National Park Service in a place that I never would have thought to have national parks — New York City.
I mean, it’s not surprising, the Statue of Liberty makes sense…as well as Ellis Island, Federal Hall (where Washington took his presidential oath), Governors Island, and the Tenement Museum…but I had never really consciously thought about them as NPS units. But they are just that.
Let me back up. My name is Qiuandra (kee-on-dra), and I’m a rising senior at Goucher College studying Political Science.
This summer I got to intern at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in the Facility Management Division (FMD) as a National Park Service Academy intern through the Student Conservation Association (SCA).
NPS Academy
The week I spent in NYC as part of the NPS Academy was a cross between an orientation and a career fair.
We got to explore the NPS units in the city and work on some of the National Park Service Centennial goals, as well as have formal sit downs where various park employees told us how they got to their position in the park and gave us tips and answered questions on applying for positions within the NPS.
Part two of my adventure started the moment I began my actual internship in the Smokies.
The official title of my internship was “Project Technician.” The majority of my work centered on a construction project that, once it was complete, would house the curatorial collections for the entire park.
It was a pretty sweet deal and I got to spend a lot time going behind the scenes at construction projects around the park.
Working at Headquarters in FMD I also got to go out with some of the other engineers/architects in the office and view their projects (read: I’ll never be able to look at campgrounds the same again).
The other half of my work as an intern involved working with the park superintendent’s office.
Because my supervisor was amazing (Thank you Imelda), she had asked the Dana (Management Assistant/Public Affairs officer in the park) to be my mentor while I was interning, I got to spend a portion of my time with her, the superintendent, and the deputy superintendent on some of their meetings and projects (Thank you Dana, Cash, and Clay!).
In addition to this, I’ve also had the opportunity to cross-train/shadow various other divisions in the park (specifically: Fisheries, Back Country, Archeology, GIS, and Resource Education) and go do field research with biologist looking at Hellbenders in the park (yes, it was AWESOME).
Inner workings of a federal agency
As a political science major, this internship has been extremely helpful in allowing me to see the inner workings of a federal agency and also allowing me to see how cultural and political factors shape parks (see the newly installed electric charging stations or the removal of confederate flags from park stores).
Above and beyond being related to my major, this internship has allowed me to gain experience in a variety of different fields and, for me, that has been the best part about it. It’s opened my eyes to the multitude of career options within NPS and it has allowed me to gain skills in those areas.
In closing I just want to offer some advice to students: when you work at at a National Park, your office is a playground, so don’t be afraid to try things that aren’t necessarily related to your major or prospective career path.
You never know where you’re going to end up or what information might prove to be useful to you later in life. Explore and enjoy everything while you have the opportunity!
