The Diary of an Intern, Big Kid, and Future College Graduate

By: Jackie Wenala, Education Intern 

I never really knew what I wanted to do when I grew up. And now I’m still just a curious kid, who makes flower crowns whenever they see daisies, who makes terrible puns, and who asks “why?” all the time. I’m definitely that kid that asks, “What kind of tree is that?”, and, “what is a slough, exactly?” I mean that literally. I really asked those to the other interns and staff last week. I’m also a university student, so I get to learn all the time. My favorite classes are the ones with field trips though, cause I get to go outside and collect data in a lake or a stream or a forest, all probably while getting rained on or swarmed by bugs. Definitely the best way to spend a Wednesday afternoon. Honestly what makes it worth it are those moments where I go, “oh, so that’s why.”

Most of what I do as the new education intern is help with visits to classrooms to teach kids about salmon and restoration, as well as go on field trips, which (like the kids) is my favorite part. I have gone to creeks to release little baby salmon, pulled ivy, and led games with kids. Though I get to tell kids what I know about salmon and what they need in the environment, I also get to hear other people talk about our environment. So far I learned how to identify twinberry and alder trees, and when out on a field trip, I asked what kind of tree I was looking at, which is how I learned that my new favorite tree is quaking aspen. When I visit elementary schools, the students surprise me with their interest in salmon and their interest in what I do. One student asked about how and why I got to be there, standing in front of them, answering their questions. That was the toughest question I’ve ever gotten from an elementary student. I mean, where do I start? Their curiosity and intelligence was truly inspiring, and now I feel like  answering their questions was the reason why I was there.

When people ask me, “What are you doing after you graduate?” it’s hard to answer. Of course what they really want to know is what job or career I’m pursuing, but I just want to keep learning about nature. But you know, without all the tests and paying thousands of dollars. I never really knew what I wanted to do when I grew up. Not that I really know now. But learning something new every day feels like it’s getting me a little closer. And now as an intern, I can spend time trying to learn a few new things, and maybe even passing on what I’ve learned, so that others can be just as curious about the world as me. And that will surely take me somewhere closer to answering the question of what I’m going to if I ever grow up.