Shannon Brown is a public health student at Cal State Fullerton with a concentration in environmental and occupational health and safety. In order to get more experience with the environmental aspect of her major, Shannon decided to start interning at Fullerton Arboretum through their Engaging Environmental Experiences (E3) internship program.
The E3 Internship is open to CSUF students of all majors. Mentored by arboretum staff members, interns are trained to be future leaders in science, conservation, environmental education, horticulture and more.
“I was really excited to see that the arboretum did offer an internship,” says Shannon. “It’s kind of giving me some experience with the policies and laws that are in place with my environmental concentration.”
For Shannon’s internship, she is responsible for going through CSUF and Fullerton Arboretum’s policies to determine if they qualify for badges offered by the American Public Gardens Association. These badges certify the arboretum as a garden that concentrates on conserving and teaching about the environment and climate control.
“It wasn’t really until I got to the arboretum that I realized just how much what we do in a work environment affects the actual environment, and how the actual environment affects how we work.”
Not only does Shannon enjoy the internship because of the work she does, but she also loves how the arboretum reminds her of home. “Me being from South Carolina, I was raised in nature. That’s all there is in South Carolina, just trees and plants everywhere. So being at the arboretum is like being at a California version of South Carolina…There’s so much there that reminds me of where I grew up.”
Learn more about Fullerton Arboretum’s Engaging Environmental Experiences (E3) internship program at fullertonarboretum.org/internships.aspx.