Hailey Gifford explores new frontiers at 国家公园管理局 internship

作者:奥德丽安娜·王尔德

This summer, Hailey Gifford has learned that experience and opportunity can be uncovered anywhere. 通过她在 Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site 在北卡罗来纳州 国家公园管理局, Gifford, who is working on earning her 环境研究硕士学位 通过newbb电子平台 沃伊诺维奇学校 of Leadership and Public Service, has pointed to her graduate program as the key to her success.

Gifford found herself nearly 500 miles away from her home state rather unexpectedly. 毕业后 B.A. 政治学 from 俄亥俄州’s College of Arts and Sciences in 2022, Gifford typically gravitated toward policy-oriented spaces, such as her previous internship with the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio. While applying for internships this year, however, an opportunity from the NPS caught her eye.

“I had absolutely no clue what I was expecting,吉福德说。. “It was kind of just like, ‘Oh, the 国家公园管理局 says that I can come work for them? 我必须这么做.“这太酷了，不能错过.”

Upon her arrival, Gifford dove into her work with visitor's services and the museum team. She quickly caught on that each day would be different than the one before. 有些日子, Gifford would spend the day walking around the park, speaking with and assisting visitors while taking in the change of scenery. Other work days would consist of long hours inside, focusing on the physical upkeep of the museum or helping to evolve the story of the museum itself.

“It was anything from cleaning moldy books to having meetings about how we're going to shape the story of Black 历史 at the park to a tree branch falling down in my front yard and then having to clean it up with maintenance,吉福德说。.

Despite the diversity of responsibilities her internship entailed, Gifford was able to pursue her passion for social justice through research and writing projects. 在她实习期间, 她和兰妮·宾尼克斯一起工作, 一个历史学家, to write an article and form an interactive exhibit that expanded upon the narrative of the historic home of the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and writer Carl Sandburg. Gifford wanted to dive deeper into the site’s history by looking at the structures that were built and lived in by enslaved people before Sandburg’s lifetime.

“What we're trying to do is emphasize those stories, because the park currently only focuses on the time of Carl Sandburg,吉福德说。. “Maybe he didn't own slaves and he didn't believe in that, but he still benefited from it. And so we still need to be expressing that in their story because it still matters, 它仍然很重要, 这是非常相关的, 并且需要被谈论.”

这项工作有许多挑战, yet Gifford took them as opportunities to grow and learn, applying what she learned in and out of the classroom to her professional life. 她说 Dr. 杰弗里Dabelko and his emphasis on the importance of a good elevator pitch—a 30-second breakdown of an idea or an ask—was one useful tool she, 值得庆幸的是, 配备了. To battle the often slow pace of bureaucracy, Gifford was able to advocate for her ideas and move things along with a quick yet efficient conversation.

“事情进展得非常缓慢, but you have to be doing everything kind of all at once, 这样，当事情开始运转的时候, you're totally prepared for them to go forward or for them to get approved,吉福德说。.

Gifford’s experience allowed her to explore a new pathway that she otherwise might not have.  因为她还在继续攻读学位, she has walked away with a greater perspective on how her newfound skills will help her succeed in her career.

“在此之前, I had a very narrow idea of what I wanted to do with my career and I still think that that's my goal,吉福德说。. “But I need to be okay with doing things that aren't exactly what I want to do, 但也许能帮助我到达那里.”

Gifford also underscored the importance of networking, acknowledging her connection with Dr. 杰弗里·巴克利 as the reason she discovered and acquired her internship.

我会说, don't stress so much about your academics than stressing about making valuable connections,吉福德说。. “Especially in the 沃伊诺维奇学校, I don't think you can make a wrong turn.”