SCCF introduces recent interns who joined the team
The Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation has welcomed some new interns in recent months.
Luke Miller has been an environmental policy intern since October. Originally from New Jersey, he graduated from Northwestern University with a bachelor’s in Spanish literature and business. Miller came to the SCCF following three years working in the global foreign exchange markets.
“I decided to switch career paths to focus more on conservation and policy, and my internship with the policy team at SCCF has been a perfect way to work with experienced professionals in the policy field and learn the fundamentals of the industry,” he said. “Throughout my internship, I have written articles about Florida policy issues that intend to make complicated policy matters accessible to our whole community. I have also worked to plan and execute Action Alerts to urge our elected officials to support environmentally friendly policies and oppose harmful ones.”
Miller said he has learned about issues on the environmental front during the past several months and how environmental policies are designed and implemented.
“During Florida’s two-month legislative session, it was great to be able to work with the SCCF policy team to learn how bills progress through the legislative system,” he said. “I’ve also been able to learn about issues such as climate change, renewable energy, and sea level rise through my work on various related projects on these topics.”
Miller departs in mid-July, and he will study environmental policy at Indiana University’s O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs in the fall.
“My time with SCCF will be extremely helpful as I continue to pursue my interests in the field of policy. The real-world experience I’ve gained by covering Florida policy issues over the course of my internship will be invaluable as I learn more about policy design, implementation and issues,” he said.
Aaron White was born and raised in Houston, Texas, and recently graduated from Texas State University with a bachelor’s in wildlife biology. He has been a shorebird intern since March.
“I’ve learned a lot during my time at SCCF. I’ve most enjoyed learning about snowy plovers and their specific behaviors related to nesting and protecting their broods,” White said. “It’s been really interesting observing the interactions between the broods, such as seeing what territories they establish for themselves to avoid predators and plover infighting.”
He is considering what he would like to focus on in wildlife biology.
“Being exposed to new species and learning about them in a fast-paced environment has made me confident in my abilities to work with new species in the future,” White said. “On the other hand, if I want to keep pursuing work with plovers, I’m well equipped with base knowledge to advance down that career path.”
Native Landscapes and Garden Center intern Glorimar Rivera Zamorano is a senior at the University of Central Florida, where she is pursuing a bachelor’s in environmental studies. She began the internship on May 31 and will wrap it up on Aug. 8.
“So far, I’ve come to learn a lot more things than I originally expected since starting this internship,” Zamorano said.
She already understood the importance of incorporating native species into urban landscapes, and she is learning more about the roles they play in the environment. She is learning how to better identify native flora and about the different species’ roles within their habitats as food sources for birds and wildlife, as pollinators and nectar sources for insects and butterflies, and their climate tolerances and culture.
“There’s something new to learn every day and I can’t wait to see what’s next,” Zamorano said.