August signaled a return to campus for Kirkwood Community College’s horticulture and parks and natural resources students after a busy summer with their internships.
They arrived with confidence and a new set of skills. As a required part of their degree, students must complete 240 hours or more of related work in their field of choice, such as a naturalist, landscaper, park maintenance technician, wildlife caretaker and more.
This is to not only gain necessary experience, but to also grow their opportunities after graduation. Some found themselves to be working internships out of state; others found the beauty of home to be fulfilling.
Second-year parks and natural resources student Emily Ferguson found her internship close to campus. Only a 30-minute drive from Kirkwood, stands the cliffsides of Palisades Kepler State Park, where Ferguson completed her internship as a maintenance technician.
Her duties included groundkeeping, landscaping, forestry work, tool operation and other maintenance work. When needed, she assisted with customer service for park visitors.
“I chose my internship because of my love for Iowa’s state parks, the land and views, and because I enjoyed exploring the harder work of the field,” said Ferguson.
With varied interests in careers, horticulture and parks and natural resources students can formulate their future by choosing an internship from which they will gain the most applicable experience.
Ferguson said internships in any natural resource or horticulture field is because of the need for networking, mentorship and hands-on discovery.
“With such a diverse selection of job opportunities, it is beneficial for us to see what interests us the most, meet more people and see what we are skilled at,” Ferguson stated.
She said she “gained lots of experience with routine care of the land. I was able to learn what most interested me in the field. Along with that, I learned a lot of the hierarchy and inner workings of the DNR state park system.”
In the first year of college, students learned skills parallel to what they practiced in their internships, such as machinery operation, plant identification and workplace communication. Within the horticulture and parks and natural resources program, career-readiness is essential due to competition for seasonal work.
Students’ internships may seem all work and no play, but most left the summer with valuable memories as well. After all, a summer spent outdoors is subject to some level of fun. Not only is Palisades Kepler State Park a stunning scene on the Cedar River, but it is also an outdoor classroom.
“My favorite memory had to be the summer day camps that our park hosted. I was able to participate in the camps as an assistant instructor,” Ferguson said.
She said she spent time teaching the kids about the park and doing outdoor activities with them, leaving with her own sense of admiration for Iowa’s natural beauty.
Categories: Feature
