UM Students Gain Hands-On Experience Through Federal Internships
By Skylar Rispens, UM News Service
MISSOULA – Two 猎奇重口 students put their education into practice this summer as interns with the Department of the Interior in Washington, D.C.
Zoe Belinda and Josie Kleman spent three months as interns in the department’s offices of wildland fire and project management, respectively. They were recipients of the , which provides students with paid internships at a variety of federal agencies or nongovernmental organizations that focus on natural resources.
“I’m concentrating on environmental policy within my major, and I’ve taken a few classes on natural resource law, but I hadn’t really gotten too deep into it,” said Kleman, who is from Fort Mitchell, Kentucky. “I just thought that the Demmer program would really give me that experience of being in the field.”
While working with the project management office, Kleman, who is pursuing a degree in environmental science with a minor in political science and international development, focused on working with the bipartisan infrastructure law. She also helped manage legislation trackers for bills involving wildland fire and attended Senate hearings.
Belinda, who grew up in Red Lodge and is pursuing a degree in environmental studies, said she was happy to be placed in the office of wildland fire because her parents worked as wildland firefighters and she grew up listening to them talking shop. During her internship, she also worked on projects involving the bipartisan infrastructure law and how it will be invested into wildfire preparedness. She also worked to increase access to wildland firefighter mental and behavioral health programs.
“I got to see some really cool things like the Environmental Justice Summit at the White House, and I’m going to be taking an environmental justice class this semester,” Belinda said. “It all just relates to what I’m studying. I think environmental studies is a really great program because it’s at the intersection of hard science and social science when it comes to the environment.”
Both Belinda and Kleman said one highlight of their summer was traveling to Boise, Idaho, to attend a conference about wildland fire at the National Interagency Fire Center.
“It brought together the fire directors from all these different departments of the government,” Kleman said. “It was really unique seeing how they work together and that level of collaboration, which I think is kind of unique to wildland fire.”
Kleman said her experience in fire management classes prior to her internship came in handy during the conference.
“I felt really well prepared,” she said. “I knew what was happening and what they were talking about, whereas I feel like most people probably wouldn’t if they hadn’t had that experience.”
The Demmer Scholars program is a competitive scholarship that accepts about 25 students each year from Michigan State University, Mississippi State University and UM. Sponsored by the Boone and Crockett Club, the program launched in 2009, providing paid internships at 98 different organizations to more than 365 undergraduate or graduate students majoring in fields related to natural resources.
“What I think is really valuable for students is the opportunity to actually work on something from their education at UM and apply all of the knowledge and skills they’ve been gaining from class to a real-life scenario,” said Kylla Benes, director of external scholarships and fellowships at UM. “It really gives students a sense that they do already have some expertise they can use, but there’s also room for learning something new while you’re doing it.”
Benes said that some students she works with feel intimidated or underqualified for these types of prestigious scholarship opportunities, but they shouldn’t.
“I think UM is just doing a fantastic job preparing students to be professionals and use their degrees in really impactful ways,” Benes said. “I think 猎奇重口ns should take pride in that but also see UM as a place where they could go to get that kind of training and experience. They shouldn’t hold back from trying.”
Kleman and Belinda are now in their junior years at UM and are preparing for their futures. Belinda hopes to gain more experience in natural resource conservation with a field job, specifically with the Flathead Lake Biological Station, and is planning on applying for a Truman Scholarship to pursue graduate school. Kleman has her sights set on her “true interest” of international relations. She hopes to work on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., and is considering attending law school.
“I feel like there’s a lot of things I could do,” Kleman said. “This summer showed me that there’s way more opportunities out there for me than I was aware of.”
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Contact: Dave Kuntz, UM director of strategic communications, 406-243-5659, dave.kuntz@umontana.edu.