Wednesday, 25 Sep 2002

ST. PAUL, Minn.

Getting up this morning was tough. I was at an outdoor club meeting last night that went until 10:30 p.m. — one of four presentations I gave yesterday. In total, I must have talked to over 100 people. The outdoor club was a good group; the members’ interests ran the gamut from journalism to outdoor recreation, and they asked a lot of questions.

The great thing about SCA is that we don’t pressure people into doing anything — and the great thing about this internship is that I’m not pressured, either. I don’t have to convince a certain number of students to sign on; just let them know what opportunities exist out there. Maybe they won’t be interested right now, but two or three or five years down the road they’ll remember my talk and decide to go for it.

I get so excited every time I talk about this program, probably because I know how much it has helped me, as well as many others. But most of all I get excited because I believe in what SCA does. And a lot of the students who listen to me get really excited, too. A program that pays you to live in a state or national park for a year? Many people think this is just too good to be true. Most people think there must be a catch; I get a lot of questions from students concerned that they aren’t majoring in biology. But you don’t have to be a biology major in order to get an SCA internship; all you need is the willingness to learn. People without any background in biology might have to work a little harder, but they can definitely do it.

I also encourage everyone who comes to my talks to take a look at the SCA website. Grist readers can appreciate the usefulness of online publications, and the SCA site contains information on everything having to do with the internships — from timelines for applying to internship locations. You can even fill out the application online.

Well, it’s off to another presentation for me. Talk with you later.