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Internship of the Month: ECHO Lakeside Aquarium and Science Center

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Kyle Pestlin

Intern: Kyle Pestlin
Class Year: 2012
Major: Biology
Employer: ECHO Lakeside Aquarium and Science Center
Internship Title: Animal Care Intern
Website: www.echovermont.org
LinkedIn Profile: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/kyle-pestlin/21/945/963

Briefly tell us about the organization you were with:

ECHO is an aquarium and science center located on the Burlington Waterfront. Their goal is to provide a fun and interactive environment for kids to learn about the local history, culture, and ecosystems. ECHO houses 70+ species of fish, amphibians, invertebrates, and reptiles and provides various internship opportunities including a variety of education/teaching internships.

How would you describe the various projects you did in for your organization someone who is unfamiliar with your field?

I worked in the Animal Care department which strictly deals with the animals. My job consisted of cleaning tanks, feeding, designing and building exhibit habitats, medicating animals, and learning about ECHO’s water system. All the techniques I’ve learned in animal care are transferable to other zoos and aquariums across the country to the standards of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).

What did you like best about this internship? What was most challenging?

What I enjoyed most about this internship was to learn about all the different aspects of animal husbandry. Working at ECHO has really improved my ability to create animal specific habitats that I now apply to my lizard tanks at home.

The most challenging aspect of working at ECHO was to remember all the different diets for each of the animals. For example, some fish get fish food that we make, while some eat fish, some eat earth worms, others eat blood worms, and that’s just the fish. Frogs, reptiles, turtles, and crustaceans all have specific diets as well.

How did you gain credit for this internship?

I met with Mary Beth Barritt at Career Services. She informed me of a course she was teaching that provides credit for internships (EDSS 239). The work for the course consisted of reading inspiring and thought-provoking articles and then writing responses to these articles while including relevant internship experience. This course helped facilitate the learning process in my internship by requiring critical thinking on aspects of the internship that otherwise would have gone without acknowledgement or appreciation.

What impact did this internship have on your career direction?

This internship really opened my eyes to what I truly enjoy doing. Just knowing that I am improving the lives of these animals by giving them care and attention makes it all worth it. This internship has also confirmed the importance of knowing you are contributing and making a difference in society.

What advice do you have for students searching for internships?

When looking for an internship you have to stay persistent and look for a job in a field you are truly interested in.

Why should students do an internship?

I feel having an internship is really helpful no matter what. Even if you hate your internship you then know that you may be in the wrong field. You may learn you enjoy certain aspects of your internship more than others, and it may not even be what you had expected. This helps narrow your overall career path to the job that will ultimately be best for you.

In Pursuit of a Balanced Life

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“Balance, peace, and joy are the fruit of a successful life. It starts with recognizing your talents and finding ways to serve others by using them.” -Thomas Kinkade

Healthy You

In this fast-paced world, it’s easy to learn the skills of extreme multi-tasking, sleep deprivation, delaying joy, and others that defeat efforts for our health and well-being.  School and work can make it challenging to practice self-care, and learning to balance all of life’s many demands can be tricky.

Although striking such a balance is no easy feat, even the President of The United States of America finds time to pull away from his demanding job.  The new year is a great time to begin implementing strategies to help you stay centered through all of life’s obstacles and prioritize the things that matter most to you.

Here are some tips for striking your own balance:

  • Identify your interests, skills, and values– reflecting on what’s important to you can help you assess what areas of your life need attention
  • Create manageable “To-Do” lists– develop a list of tasks and give yourself reasonable time to accomplish what you’ve laid out
  • Use a calendar or planner– by blocking out time for work, school, social activities, exercise and other parts of your day, you’ll give yourself a visual reminder of what balance means to you
  • Reserve time for ample sleep– 7-9 hours is generally advisable

Balance takes practice, but the benefits are well worth the effort.  Here’s to a balanced, peaceful, joyful you!

~Ashley

Study Abroad and Career Paths

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“Studying abroad allows you to come back and look at your own place and understand its strengths and weaknesses and escape from the idea, the deadly idea, that the way you are used to having things happen is the only way that they might work.” –Bill McKibben

Goofy

The added perspective that a study abroad experience can provide is not just beneficial to a student’s personal development but also to their job prospects.

“Cross-cultural competency” is a new term buzzing among today’s hiring managers. It’s a quality that signifies a person’s ability to adapt and work within the context of unfamiliar cultures and situations.

So when it comes to effectively communicating the significance of an international experience on a resume or in an interview, “students have to learn how to talk about that experience in terms of transferrable skills [and] how it relates to what an employer wants,” explains Cheryl Matherly, Tulsa University’s associate dean of global education.

Reflecting on an Abroad Experience

Here are some useful questions you can ask yourself to evaluate your study abroad experience and how you might want to communicate it to an employer:

  • What cultural differences existed in the work environment (academic or professional) and how did I cope with them?
  • How did I work with others in my host country?
  • How did cultural perspectives influence the teaching styles in my host country? How did I adapt to them?

~Jarrod

Doing Good, Doing Well: Now for Something Different

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Goofy

Time for a well deserved break!  Rest the mind, rejuvenate the spirit, and, well, maybe wonder a bit about the year to come and what you may want to create…

Need some inspiration?  Here are movies with stories about life purpose and direction. So, take a break from the books and enjoy some entertainment that may lead to clues on where you want to put your energy – once you have recovered from the busy semester.

~Holly

Crossroads in the 20’s

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Crossroads

Feeling overwhelmed with life as a college student?  Or maybe you are a recent graduate, still adjusting to life on your own.  Chances are you have been or are currently at a crossroad in your life. Which path do I choose?  This may include: major choice, career, relationships, finances, etc.

Twenty-somethings commonly struggle with expectations and ideas of life after graduation.

The truth is: you don’t need to know what your entire life will look like five, ten, or twenty years from now.  You will grow immensely as an individual in your twenties, since it is a time for reflection and personal growth.  You may change career paths four or five times to see what fits, and that is normal. It is all part of the learning process.

“You’re supposed to have moments of uncertainty about which path to take, because the twenties are full of crossroads.”- Lisa Kudrow’s Commencement Speech at Vassar College in May 2010, a humorous take on life in the twenties.

Recommended Reading- Kenneth Jedding’s Higher Education: On Life, Landing a Job, and Everything Else They Didn’t Teach You in College

This book addresses topics such as:

  • Marketing yourself after graduation in a tough economy, no matter your major.
  • Identifying transferable skills for any job.
  • Networking and developing contacts.
  • Finding work connections in your field of choice.
  • Early years on your own, as an adult.
  • Relationships, and much more.

Best wishes to a New Year 2012! Cheers!

~Shayna

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