No day at ACT is like another. At Assateague Coastal Trust (ACT), we host camps, film nights, monitor water quality, go on boat rides, bird watch, and so much more! I was fortunate enough to intern at ACT this summer under my supervisor, Taylor Swanson. This job showed me what a potential career could be like for me in the future. I am very interested in policy as well as science, so I found Taylor's job very interesting. Taylor gets to work with and against major environmental issues in the policy field, as well as conduct research such as ACT’s water quality monitoring program.
Day-to-day would differentiate at ACT. Some weeks, I worked with ACT’s Coast Kids Camp, assisting my wonderful coworker, Verena. These weeks consisted of helping kids learn about nature, explore the outdoors, work with microscopes, and learn about renewable energy. It was a really fulfilling experience. The opportunity to assist with the Coast Kids camp was one of the most special and unforgettable weeks of my internship. I spent the day paddleboarding with children, dragging them around on the water, and just having a good time. Their joy and happiness made the exhausting experience worthwhile.
We spent every Wednesday out on the waters of the Assawoman Bay and the surrounding rivers and creeks. We collected water samples from 12 locations throughout the bay. We used a Secchi disk to determine water clarity, recorded temperatures, and other data using a YSI. The YSI provided us with dissolved oxygen and conductivity. After a day out on the boat, we head back to the lab to process the samples. After a 24-hour incubation, they were ready to be read, and we would determine if the water we collected was safe to swim in. We would post results online.
Beyond the enjoyment, maintaining the safety of my hometown is one of my favorite achievements. I accomplished this by keeping an eye on the local water quality and alerting the public when harmful conditions were present. Over the summer, I gained confidence in my skills, which was a crucial ability. I started gathering and processing water samples on my own within a few weeks of the internship. Careful data gathering, traveling to several test locations, and analyzing lab results were all part of this process. I was even given the responsibility of mentoring a new intern, which put my knowledge and leadership abilities to the test and made them stronger.
Overall, I would rate my internship an 8 out of 10. The work was engaging, the people were great, and I learned so much. The only downside was that the days could get long and physically tiring—especially when spending over five hours in the sun or on the boat. One of the highlights of the experience was working under a supportive and balanced supervisor. My ideal supervisor is someone who knows when to be serious and when to keep things light, and who values the growth of their interns just as much as the contributions they make. I was fortunate to have that this summer, and it's something I’ll look for in future roles. This internship helped me grow both personally and professionally, and I’ll carry the lessons I learned with me wherever I go next.
