Post 1.

The format of my blog posts may not follow a traditional format since I will be writing from memory. I interned in the Spring of 2010 at the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. I spent most of my time working in the Community Outreach Unit of the Waste Programs Division but also helped on smaller projects in other units. The experience as a whole was very informative and incredibly fun! The supervisor of our unit made an effort to involve me in all of their activities, meetings, and events-I really gained a sense of what it was like to be a part of their team. She also volunteered my services to other managers around the office who were working on a variety of different projects and who had a variety of different tasks they needed help with. Everyday I learned something new and interesting! And everyday I got to work with someone completely different than the day before. One day it would be a geologist, the next it would be the Administrator's Assistant, and some days it would be a phone conference with people from different parts of the state. I was exposed to many facets of environmental regulation and clean-up-an area of interest that I hope to pursue after graduation. I experienced the administrative paperwork involved in documenting and processing environmental claims, the use of science and technology to extract hazardous material from the water and soil, and the human side of communities who are fighting to protect their homes and the quality of their environments.

I intend to use this blog to share with you the many great experiences I had at ADEQ and I look forward to hearing about your internships as well.