Many students get opportunities to obtain internship position at different firms or large companies around the country, but what I seem to value the most within internships are working with the local community along with students and faculty of UCD to make Davis a much more sustainable place to live in. I think that in order to build this idea of sustainability to the rest of the world, we must first achieve that goal ourselves.
Several months ago, I was fortunate enough to become an intern for Project Invigorate, a landscape design internship led by a former UCD graduate. This internship has by far taught me the most in terms of what landscape architects do, and the methods they use to design a new sustainable space. The team and I have been able to implement and complete a line of hedgerows that incorporated native shrubs and grasses near Montgomery Ave. in South Davis, and have already started working with clients to design and eventually implement a new design of the front sign of a local elementary school, called Fairfield Elementary. Throughout this process, I've learned a lot from both the managers, coordinators, and my peers as to how to look and observe the landscape, figure out areas for improvement, and use methods to make those designs come to life, such as using AutoCAD.
Smartscape has been truly a mind-opening experience when it came to the hands-on experience I was looking for within the Sustainable Environmental Design major. From tilling the plots, edging each side, and assembling the drip irrigation, I've been able to really take a part in constructing the native pollinator study garden at the Western Center for Agricultural Equipment at UCD. Faculty have taught me why specific plants were chosen to be grown in nearby hedgerows, and I've been given the opportunity to even design my own hedgerow and determine what plants I would think best fit there.
I feel really satisfied with the work I've done for the local community, but it doesn't stop there. Future goals will include being able to coordinate and lead internships, and develop skills to teach others about the importance of sustainability within a local setting. As time goes on, updates to these internships will be sure to come.