September 11, 2016
Survive Zion and Let Zion Survive – My Summer as a “Park Ranger”
CEDAR CITY, UT, Sep. 11, 2016 – I spent the summer 2016 working in Zion National Park in Springdale, UT as an interpretive ranger. The initial idea to do this internship came from the EDGE center at SUU. All SUU students are required to complete a project throughout their college career, and my idea was to complete and internship in order to get more work experience, as well as experiencing a new branch in the field of communication.
My daily duties as an intern were working at the visitor center or museum desk, hiking trails and giving patio talks. When I worked at the desk I had to answer common questions and sometimes really uncommon ones too. I also helped visitors to plan their trip especially when it was their first time at Zion. During the hikes I answered questions, looked for people that felt uneasy, and picked up trash, or removed graffiti. Last, but not least, with my patio talks I tried to teach a lesson about back packing, the leave no trace behind principles, and lizards.
If it wouldn’t have been for the EDGE project, I probably would have never done an internship in America, but rather go back home to Switzerland over the summer. EDGE is a program at SUU that requires all student to complete three online courses as well as a 40 hour project. This program helps to set yourself apart from other students and gives you real life experience. The internship was provided through the Intergovernmental Internship Cooperative (IIC). The IIC is a department at SUU that offers internships with several different national parks, national monuments, and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
The EDGE project helped me in several ways. First of all and most important, through the EDGE project I got work experience in America. For me it is really important to get that work experience since my dream is to get a job in America after graduation and hopefully get permanent residency. Not only did I gain more work experience, but it also opened my eyes that I could work in other settings than an office space with my communication degree. The internship showed me that I could be a tour guide or work as interpretive ranger in another national park. It definitely gave me something to think about, and I am excited for what the future brings.
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Contact information:
Helena Looser
109 S 100 E Apt. 10
Cedar City, UT 84720
(435) 559 36 65
helena.looser@gmail.com
