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Learning for a Greener Future 2019: Week 6
The Learning for a Greener Future internship is a six-week program offered by Phipps to Pittsburgh-area high school students. Cheyenne Griffin and Cody Jones completed the internship last summer and have returned this year as Intern Leaders. In this blog they will document the interns’ weekly experiences and share their insights and ideas!
Welcome back to the FINAL WEEK of the internship! Throughout the week we do many interesting things to close the program, but not without a box of tissues.
On Monday, we began the morning with light conversation, settling in and getting ready for the day. Then, Cody and I gave a brief presentation on applying for college and offered advice for the future to our fellow interns. After a few questions, we all met with Laura Schoch to see the proposed layout of the Fall Show to get a little inspiration for our contribution to the Fall Show. Afterwards, we went down to the Nature Lab where we met with past interns Jacob, Aaron and Ahmir. They discussed the impact that the internship had on them and what they are doing currently. It was a great opportunity to hear from people that were also once in similar positions that we are in. Not long after, we had lunch in the CSL and headed back down to the Nature Lab for a presentation by Amy LaSota, a representative from Bidwell Training Center. She discussed the different types of programs they offer as well as the steps in applying for those programs. Her presentation helped open up everyone’s eyes to other possibilities when deciding plans after high school. We ended the day working on our lanterns that will be displayed in the Fall Show and with our daily prompt.
On Tuesday, to begin the day, we each shadowed with a horticulturist which lasted until lunch where we enjoyed a meal prepared by the Phipps Café. After lunch, we headed to the Nature Lab to prepare and practice our presentation for the Farewell Lunch the following day. During this process we broke down bit by bit everything we did throughout the internship and made sure everyone was comfortable with the parts they were going to be talking about. Just as we were finishing up, Ashley Dean, Phipps Human Resources Manager, met with us in the Nature Lab to talk with us about the development of resumes and cover letters. It was a great opportunity to get insight on what employers look for as well as learning what is expected of you when you’re applying for a job. After finishing up with her, we then had a mini poetry and share session which finished out the day.
To start the beautiful Wednesday off, we began with our last day shadowing the horticulture staff. After that, we headed to the Farewell Lunch with many of the horticulture staff, staff from the CSL and several college interns. There, we ate and mingled, creating laughter and memories. Then, we did a presentation in front of them and displayed many of our projects throughout the summer. It was a very nice time and everyone really enjoyed themselves. After the Farewell Lunch, we went to the Nature Lab where we continued working on our lanterns while enjoying each other’s company and just having a great time together. During this time, Debbie, our program evaluator, pulled us aside to do an exit interview on our outlook on the program. Then, we ended the day with our daily prompt.
To begin a busy and exciting Thursday, we headed up to the Edible Garden to do our weekly ozone sampling. Then, we went to Botany Hall Kitchen and made salsa together which would be served at lunch. We spent the rest of our day finishing up our lanterns and writing thank-you-notes for the staff and professionals we met. We continued the day with bonding activities such a heated, but fun game of Jeopardy and wrote positive things about each other. We ended the day writing letters to our future selves and preparing for the Youth Garden Summit next Tuesday.
