Policy Internship with TreePeople 

 Valerie K., Spring 2025 

Hello! My name is Valerie, and I am a senior pursuing my Master’s in Public Administration and Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies. For the Spring 2025 semester, I had the fortunate opportunity to be a policy intern for TreePeople’s Policy team, a local nonprofit based in Los Angeles that supports the planting of trees in urban areas and other environmental advocacy.  

Most of my work centers around the California Fifth Climate Assessment because I am assisting with outreach to get climate stories from community members that highlight the impacts of climate change in order to have lived experiences drive meaningful policy action. This consisted of power mapping various environmental organizations in Southern California, which also contributed to TreePeople’s Listening to Leaders Survey. I created the language around the call for climate stories, graphics, and rubric. Another main component of my work is related to green schoolyards. I have created a database that compiles research and publications around the social, economic, and environmental benefits of implementing green space in schools. Although I was mostly working remotely, I was able to help in person at the Climate Symposium, which was rewarding because I got to learn about increasing resiliency through thoughtful landscaping and gardening in LA after the wildfires.   

Overall, my internship experience was rewarding because I got to engage with professionals and deepened my understanding of how community-driven data can influence state-level and local policy. That was significant for me as someone who hopes to pursue a career in environmental policy.