“My experience with EnrichLA this semester was unexpected, but very worthwhile. I came in expecting just to build off of the skills I learned last semester with the organization, but I ended up doing that and so much more… I learned how to design a garden before anything is in the ground. This makes sure that the garden can sustain itself with minimal need for external assistance, like purchasing compost separately. I also gained a greater appreciation of all the hard work that goes into running a nonprofit organization behind the scenes. The most important skills I developed over the past semester are leadership and knowing how to motivate people, flexibility when it comes to learning new tasks, and a strong sense of enthusiasm for any job to make tasks more enjoyable for myself and. anyone around me. I would highly recommend this class and organization to anyone who is interested in the environmental community or someone who has a desire to help their.community and feel good while doing it.” Nico P.
“Working for The Future Reference has been an incredible experience and I have learned so much about the way a start-up operates. As someone who hopes to one day run my own environmentally focused company, it’s been super beneficial to learn about what goes into the creation of a business. The variety of tasks I’ve been given has allowed me to develop so many new skills and has given me insight into all the different aspects of a company. I really appreciate how much responsibility they have trusted me with and how helpful they are at walking me through tasks I’ve never done before. I’ve been mentored every step of the way and have had the most amazing opportunity to learn from two very successful women. I’ve also realized how important it is to really believe in the mission of the organization you’re working for. Every week I look forward to meeting with my team and know that I want to feel this way in whatever career I end up pursuing.” Katie S.
“I’m incredibly grateful for the experience and connections I gained through my [internship] work. Prior to this semester I didn’t have any experience working in a biology lab, so interning at the Marine Biodiversity Center at the Natural History Museum provided me the opportunity to hone research skills by working on compound microscopes, identifying marine invertebrate taxa, and using an electron scanning microscope, to name a few. Aside from research skills, I furthered my time management and work ethic skills by coming into the lab long hours each week. Based on my internship work, I was invited to join a lab project, which I was absolutely ecstatic about because that meant I would be paid doing something I enjoy: creating scientific illustrations of [a] tiny organism. I love these illustrations because they’re so intricately detailed and scientifically accurate, which satisfies both my creative and science sides. I’ve always thought about potentially pursuing scientific illustrating because the field combines the best of both of my interests, however I never knew how to get started… I’m so excited for this opportunity because it gives me real-world experience with scientific illustrating and will result in my name being published in several papers, which will aid me later on when I’m applying to graduate school.” Ania W.
