Program Internship Wrap-Up

By Sarah Kelly, Program Intern

With just a couple weeks of summer left, I’ve found myself stopping to take a moment and think about how grateful I am for what I’ve been able to do these last few months at the Science Center. It’s hard to believe that summer is almost over but I guess time flies when you’re having fun and I’ve been having a blast. Being from New Hampshire, I’ve been coming to the Science Center since I was little and have always loved it. When I discovered that they offered an internship I was so excited and sent in my application immediately. Looking back to that time is a bit surreal when I consider that I’m here now. This experience has been everything I hoped it would be.

I started this summer shadowing one of the naturalists through his classes. Sitting through these programs taught me very quickly the basics of the natural history of the area and of the animals we have at the Science Center. From there I started to go off campus and assist with outreach programs at various camps, libraries, and community centers. From these programs I continued to learn about the native wildlife of New Hampshire from the naturalists and had the opportunity to talk to people about them myself. I’ve done a lot of this since in the Up Close to Animals presentations held daily for visitors. These presentations are a great opportunity for me to inform people of the special characteristics of New Hampshire wildlife, and for visitors to see and gain appreciation of the animals up close, and bring up topics that concern them. I’ve been able to discuss these ideas with people of all ages, especially kids, which was helpful for the next part of my internship.

This part involved helping out with summer Guided Discoveries, which are day programs focused on environmental themes. This gave me a much better look at how younger children learn and become engaged to new ideas about the world around them.

I’m finishing my internship working in animal care. Here I see and work behind the scenes taking care of the animals by cleaning, feeding, and enriching. Getting to work up close with some of the animals is an invaluable experience that I’ve always hoped for and now will never forget.

It’s amazing to me the amount that I’ve learned this summer. While I am studying pre-veterinary medicine in college, I haven’t learned too much about wildlife or environmental studies there, so I’ve picked up a great deal of knowledge in just a couple months. After college, I hope to find a career working with wildlife. This internship has been an amazing experience but also has put me in the direction that I would like to pursue. I am beyond grateful for the time I’ve had at the Science Center and the people who have taught me so much this summer. The Science Center has always been one of my favorite places and I’m so lucky to have been given this experience of a lifetime.

My Summer as a Marketing Intern

By Hank Geng, Marketing Intern

When I first arrived in Holderness this summer, I wasn’t sure what to think. Sure, the Squam Lakes were beautiful, but the town of Holderness seemed like it was just a glorified intersection. As a born and bred city-dweller that chose to go to school in the state of Maine, one would think that I would have been prepared to spend a summer in a small town, but at first, I was taken aback by how little I thought there was to do in the area. The cabin I shared with the other three interns had no insulation and the temperature inside would fluctuate from freezing cold to outrageously hot. We also soon realized that we were sharing our house with several forms of wildlife, including mice, bats, and flying squirrels. However, despite the apparent downsides to living in the woods, the gorgeous natural setting of New Hampshire started to charm me, and I quickly began to enjoy living in Holderness.

A big part of this about-face was due to my job at Squam Lakes Natural Science Center as a marketing intern. I have never encountered such a welcoming and professional staff in all the places at which I’ve worked in the past. The sheer amount of camaraderie present between the staff members was astounding. It made coming to work every day far more enjoyable.

I initially thought that my work here would just be a desk job, but it turned out to be much more than that. The Science Center is a very outdoors-oriented institution, and even though I spent a fair amount of time on the computer, I’ve gotten the chance to walk the Gephart Exhibit Trail dozens of times. I sometimes even feel that even though the trail is geared towards children, adults might have more fun with everything there is to do in the exhibits – not to mention the copious amounts of slides.

Other than the outdoors, another facet of the Science Center that appealed to me was its focus on education. While the Science Center certainly does its part to educate children about the natural environment, working here also taught me many things that I hope to apply towards my future career. I learned how to be adaptable in a professional workplace, and I got to brush up on my people skills when interacting with visitors here at the Science Center. For that, I am extremely thankful.

While working as a marketing intern here at the Science Center, I also had the opportunity to do a lot of work with photography and videography, which are things I’ve enjoyed in the past as a pastime but have never done in a professional context. I took photos of everything the Science Center does – from the Gephart Exhibit Trail to the Lake Cruises and the animals we use on programs and outreaches, as well as the Saturday Night Wild fundraiser. Taking these photos and videos was a great way to familiarize myself with the Science Center and its daily goings-on.

I had an extremely positive experience this summer working at the Science Center. I entered with reservations and am now leaving with absolutely none. The only negative feeling I have now is regret; that I don’t have more time to spend here around the gorgeous Squam Lakes region, or around these fantastic people at the Science Center. Their hard work and dedication shines through to the valuable experience we provide here at the Science Center.