Meet the 2008 Interns!

Alaska Community Action on Toxics – Jessica Nu
Jessica is a student at Brandeis University in Waltham Massachusetts, where she is pursuing a double major in Environmental Studies and Biology.  During her time at school, she works for the Pepperberg Lab with two intelligent African Grey parrots, DJ’s for her school’s radio station, and participates in Brandeis’ student- run environmental club. She fell in love with Alaska’s rich culture and beautiful landscapes when she visited her sister in Juneau last May.  In addition to this, she heard about Annie Alowa and ACAT in her Environment, Health, and Society class and was moved to pursue a position with this environmental justice group. She hopes to get her master’s degree in ecology or conservation biology when she graduates. Her interests include hiking, drawing, reading, photography, listening to music, cooking, and being outdoors. This past semester, She studied abroad with the School for Field Studies in Tanzania at the Center for Wildlife Management Studies. Jessica is extremely excited to be challenged and further inspired by the work being done at ACAT.

Alaska Conservation Alliance – Alli Harvey
Alli Harvey is a Massachusetts native and an avid traveler.  She spent the better part of her teen years roaming the country (including two trips to Alaska) and, more recently, lived and worked in Switzerland for half a year.  Alli majors in Urban Studies at Eugene Lang College in New York City and is an active member of ReNew School, the University-wide sustainability group.  The scope of her field of study allows Alli to engage a wide range of issues concerning environment, politics, and human behavior.  Other interests include painting, running, music, language-learning, cooking, and volunteering.  Alli finds Alaskan politics, economics, and culture fascinating and is very excited for the opportunity to work with the Alaska Conservation Alliance. 

Alaska Marine Conservation Council – Sara Friberg
Sara graduated from the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology this spring with a Bachelor of Science in Biology with an Environmental Science Option.  As an undergraduate researcher at Bodega Marine Laboratory, Sara worked on a project assessing the effects of declining biodiversity in an intertidal ecosystem.  The severity of the results of the study motivated her to take action in conservation efforts.  She's looking forward to spending some time outside of the lab and learning how to create effective, positive change with the Alaska Marine Conservation Council this summer. Sara's other interests include reading, oil painting, and bicycling. After her summer in Alaska, she intends to return to graduate school for Environmental Science and Policy.

Alaska Transportation Priorities Project - Winnie C. Chang
Recently graduated from New York University, Winnie C. Chang studied Photography & Imaging and Environmental Science. Her aspirations of environmentally driven photojournalism have diversified into interests in sustainable architecture, conservation, and socially responsible entrepreneurship. Raised in the paved urban wilderness of New Jersey, she believes in a necessary overhaul of overconsumptive lifestyles. Working with the Alaska Transportation Priorities Project, Winnie is excited to put her multimedia/ advocacy skills to use this summer and to explore all facets of Alaska. In the past, she has worked in the South Bronx to defend community gardens, taught English in rural Taiwan, and studied coastal ecology in Zanzibar. An independent study of sustainable whale shark tourism on the Mafia Islands solidified her belief that human welfare goes hand in hand with environmental justice. Currently she works at the U.S. Green Building Council, advocating green building practices in NYC. Her free time is devoted to books, running, sketching, devouring spicy food, and scaling rooftops. 

Alaska Youth for Environmental Action – Anna Barnwell
Anna Barnwell is a 2008 graduate of Colby College in Waterville, Maine. Anna was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska and is excited to be returning to her home with a degree earned in Environmental Policy and International Studies. Although Anna has worked on a variety of sustainability projects during her time in Maine, her heart never left Alaska’s environment and people. Her internship at Alaska Youth for Environmental Action (AYEA) will allow her to work with youth from across the state on environmental and civic engagement projects. She is looking forward to gaining a greater understanding of grassroots campaigning from the perspective of environmental justice. Eventually Anna plans to pursue graduate studies in international environmental policy. In her spare time you can find Anna enjoying the mountains: skiing, hiking, or camping.

Anchorage Waterways Council – Brita Mjos
Brita Mjos was born and raised in Alaska. She is a junior at Western Washington University in Bellingham studying environmental science and marine ecology. Having fished commercially for salmon and gained an appreciation for Alaska’s fisheries management, she is interested in policymaking that respects the needs of both humans and ecosystems. Brita spent winter term in Asia, learning about sustainable energy development in Thailand, India, and Bhutan. She found the potential for sustainable energy hopeful, and was intrigued by the different relationships people have with their environment. Much of Brita’s time in Alaska has been spent exploring the state with her family. She enjoys kayaking, backpacking, rafting, and skiing in Alaska’s wild spaces. She hopes her summer internship will provide insight into effective approaches for conservation of wilderness in Alaska and elsewhere.

Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies – Molly Woodring
Molly Woodring is a recent graduate of Boston University with a degree in Biology with specialization in Ecology and Conservation Biology. During her senior year, she spent a semester in Ecuador through the Tropical Ecology Program and was bitten by the travel bug! A Rhode Island native, Molly has always dreamed of going to Alaska and can’t wait to start exploring.  During her time at BU, Molly was very involved with the Environmental Student Organization and recycled like it was her job—she worked as a student recycling coordinator for three years. When she’s not recycling, Molly enjoys bird watching, knitting, biking, and gardening.  

Cook Inletkeeper – Tala Woodward
Tala Woodward is a recent graduate of the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg Virginia, with a double degree in Biology and Environmental Science. In college she was involved in the Student Environmental Action Coalition's Food Sustainability Working Group and spent a year abroad in Belize studying sustainable development and working with a local NGO on protected area management. She is interested in the connections and conflicts between natural resource use and conservation and is thinking of pursuing a master's degree in environmental management or planning. Tala is very excited to come to Alaska, both for the scenery and wildlife and to learn more about community conservation initiatives and the relationships between water use and ecosystem health.

Cook Inletkeeper (Alaska Coal Working Group) – Erik Strong
Erik is a recent graduate of the University of California Santa Barbara in biology and statistics.  While at Santa Barbara he worked with a number of different research projects and wrote his senior thesis on the microbial consumption of natural petroleum off the coast of Santa Barbara.  He spent his junior year studying abroad at the University of Lund in Southern Sweden.  He is particularly interested in the overlaps of science and economics, especially within the energy sector, and is excited about the opportunity to work with Cook Inletkeeper and the Alaska Coal Working Group.   Erik plans to continue with graduate studies in the fall in statistics and economics.

Discovery Southeast – Kelly Nichols
A native New Englander who has lived most of her life in rural New Hampshire, Kelly Nichols is excited about spending the summer experiencing the environment and culture of an even more wild and northerly state. Her love of the outdoors was fostered at an early age, as she spent the majority of her childhood playing in the woods of various wildlife refuges where she and her family lived as part of her father’s job as a botanist. Subsequently, she is thrilled at the prospect of sharing the wonders of nature with children through her internship with Discovery Southeast. Kelly is currently experiencing life in a “big” city for the first time as a student at Brown University. She is concentrating in environmental studies and is planning on writing her senior thesis on the connections between globalization, consumerism, environmental degradation, and local movements working to counter these forces. When she is not in class, Kelly enjoys spending her time participating in organizing with her school’s chapter of Students for a Democratic Society, as well as reading, running, hiking, bird watching, and being amongst tall trees.

Friends of Mat-Su - Margaret Adsit
Whether wandering around the fields of her parent’s farm in Southeastern Wisconsin, rambling through the forests in Costa Rica, Chicago, and Slana, AK, or taking courses toward a BA in Environmental Science at Northwestern University,  Margaret has had a diverse range of experiences contributing to her passion for the environment.  Spending her second summer in Alaska-–with the first spent two summers ago working for Wrangell St. Elias National Park and Preserve--Margaret hopes to not only rediscover the beauty of Alaska, but also to address the growing concern toward water use in the Big Lake Watershed in the Mat-Su Borough.  A growing interest in the importance of watershed management, which began as an field intern for the Nature Conservancy in her hometown and was further fueled by travels through Nicaragua and Costa Rica, as well as helping with a wastewater treatment project in Panama as President of the local Engineers for a Sustainable World chapter, have led Margaret to want to pursue a master's degree in environmental management focusing on water resource management.    Until then, she looks forward to a summer exploring the great outdoors of Alaska, hopefully getting to hike, bike, and take photographs of one of the truly last great places. 

Glacier Bay National Park – Sarah Kindschuh
Sarah Kindschuh graduated from Sweet Briar College in Virginia with a BA in Italian Studies. Studying abroad in Italy and traveling in Europe, she realized how much she took for granted the beautiful natural areas preserved in the US, especially those surrounding her hometown of Portland, Oregon. Her senior year at Sweet Briar, Sarah shifted her focus to environmental studies. After graduation she returned to Portland to work with The Nature Conservancy as an AmeriCorps intern doing Japanese knotweed control work in the Sandy River Gorge. In the fall she was hired by The Conservancy as the volunteer program assistant for the winter. As the invasive plants program intern at Glacier Bay, Sarah is looking forward to contributing to the preservation of the natural biodiversity of Alaska. She plans to pursue a master's degree in environmental sciences after completion of post-baccalaureate coursework at Portland State University. Sarah enjoys horseback riding, kayaking, skiing, hiking, swimming, and traveling. Recognizing how rare unspoiled wilderness is, Sarah is grateful for the opportunity to take part in the conservation of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. 

Juneau Watershed Partnership – Ashley McCormack
Ashley grew up in Northern Virginia and is a rising senior at the University of Virginia.  She is studying psychology and environmental science and will begin work toward a master's degree in public policy next year. Ashley plans to enter environmental policy upon graduation, and hopes that working in Alaska this summer gives her more insight into the ethical, political, and natural issues facing environmental conservation in Alaska and other parts of the world. After spending a semester in Australia and taking a course about Australia’s marine environment and the Great Barrier Reef, Ashley is excited to get to explore and learn about a completely different environment this summer.  In her free time, Ashley loves traveling, photography, art, and horseback riding--she is looking forward to making a pictorial anthology of the many adventures she hopes to have in Alaska. Ashley is excited to work with the Juneau Watershed Partnership to inspire others to conserve locally and get to know the community of Juneau.

Kachemak Heritage Land Trust – Patrick Dryer
Pat grew up in northern Wisconsin and graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in May 2008 with a bachelor’s in physical geography. While working on his bachelor’s degree, Pat was involved in an undergraduate research project that looked at composting (recycling instead of land filling) dredged materials from lakes in western Wisconsin.  Pat will be pursuing a master’s degree in fluvial geomorphology at Missouri State University after the completion of the ACF internship.  Pat is an avid outdoorsman and enjoys hunting, fishing, climbing, hiking, and anything that involves the outdoors. He has a great respect for nature and believes America's wilderness and conservation of the land are crucial for the future.   Pat is looking forward to exploring the Kenai Peninsula and working with the Kachemak Heritage Land Trust.  

Northern Alaska Environmental Center – Megan Rawson
Megan just finished her first year as a biology major and Spanish minor at the University of Chicago, and after months in the big city, she is excited to return to her home state for the summer. Growing up in Alaska as the daughter of two former National Outdoor Leadership Skills instructors, time spent hiking in the Chugach foothills, skiing in Turnagain Pass, and kayaking in Prince William Sound have always been her happiest days. After spending last summer working in environmental education as a counselor for Trailside Discovery Camp, she is excited to spend her time in Fairbanks learning new methods to protect and improve the state she loves. She looks forward to spending her summer improving her fly fishing in the Chena River and soaking up the midnight sun when not busy working to promote environmental conservation and sustainable resource management with the Northern Center.

Renewable Energy Alaska Project - David Eisenhauer
David Eisenhauer was born and raised in eastern Pennsylvania.  After graduating high school, he decided that he wanted to be a literature major and enrolled at Eugene Lang the New School for Liberal Arts in New York City.  However, after a year and a few science courses, he found himself suddenly and surprisingly in the Science, Technology, and Society concentration.  His main academic interests have since become the history of physics and environmental studies.  One area that he has become increasing interested in is the future of energy production, particularly the future of coal use and production and its effects on society and the environment.  He hopes that this internship with the Renewable Energy Alaska Project will give him a better understanding of innovative ways renewable energy can be used.

Sitka Conservation Society - Rebecca Hartwell
Rebecca grew up near the small town of Carnation in Washington State and attended Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington. During college, she participated in a unique, semester-long field studies program where she traveled and camped throughout the Intermountain West studying place-based environmental, social, and political issues. Through this program, she gained an intimate understanding of environmental issues facing the American West and learned that no issue is one-sided. During summer breaks, Rebecca worked with high school students as a trail crew leader and environmental educator on the Olympic Peninsula. In 2005, Rebecca studied in Sikkim, India for a semester where she developed an independent study project on community-based ecotourism, which became the empirical basis for her Honors thesis senior year. Rebecca graduated in 2006 with a bachelor's degree in politics and environmental studies. After graduation, she traveled to Malaysia with a US Fulbright Fellowship, where she taught English in a rural community for one year. She recently returned to Washington and, although Alaska's northern latitudes will be a dramatic change from the tropics, Rebecca is thrilled for the opportunity to work with the Sitka Conservation Society this summer and to explore Alaska's unique ecosystems and communities.

Southeast Alaska Conservation Council - Jessi Schott
Jessi Schott grew up fishing, hiking, camping, and canoeing in western Montana. Having always lived near the river or open fields, she developed a love for open spaces and natural landscapes, and it has translated into her adult life in the form of education and the work she seeks. Jessi is a recent graduate of the University of Montana with a Bachelor of Arts degree in environmental studies and minor in nonprofit administration.  Jessi previously interned at the organic PEAS Farm in Missoula, Montana and has been a volunteer with the Sierra Club.  For the past two years, she has worked in the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation's Elk Country Visitor Center, facilitating tours, volunteering her time in the Lands Department, and writing small grants. Jessi is an insatiable reader, always hoping to expand her knowledge from her love of books.  She hopes to gain a broad understanding of land issues and conservation techniques during her time in Alaska. She also hopes to spend as much time outside hiking, fishing, kayaking, camping, and exploring as possible!

Southeast Alaska Watershed Council Coalition - Nicole McClure
Nicole has just completed her freshman year as an undergraduate at the University of Kansas, pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Human Biology Studies and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting. Eventually Nicole will attend graduate school, pursuing a Medical Doctorate or a Masters of Fine Arts, depending on the educational direction she chooses. Interested in all aspects of science, not simply the medical, pharmacological, or biological parts, conservation work is foreign but interesting to her. Hopefully, the exposure to Alaskan watershed conservation issues will broaden her understanding of biology, environmental studies, and current conservation methods. Never having traveled to Alaska before, she is extremely excited to visit what many call the most beautiful place on Earth.

Please contact ACF with all questions you may have about the internship program and host organizations.