Internship Career and Leadership Workshop 2025

Breakfast will be served at the hotel. Savor a delightful breakfast spread offering a range of options to suit every palate. Take this opportunity to mingle with fellow attendees, fuel up for the day ahead, and make meaningful connections

Breakfast served at Met Cafe Savor a delightful breakfast spread offering a range of options to suit every palate. Take this opportunity to mingle with fellow attendees, fuel up for the day ahead, and make meaningful connections.

Check-in at the Department of the Interior. Everyone should be wearing their respective program name tag.

The workshop will commence with Tracy L. Baetz, Chief Curator of the Interior Museum, providing a brief history of the Department of the Interior. Following this, a special thank you will be extended to all who have served the National Park Service.
The ceremony will include recognition of outstanding contributions from mentors/supervisors, interns, and those who have been recently hired.
The speakers for this portion are Jamie Crispin (National Park Service), Shatiba Bradley (Greening Youth Foundation), Candice Price (SODAS Life), and Susan Bonfield (Environments for the Americas). Outstanding service awards will be given, and Rita Moss, Associate Director for Workforce and Inclusion, will deliver a message of gratitude.

Special remarks by Brenda Mallory.

Secretary Deb Haaland will stop by to thank the interns for their service, followed by a group photo.

We will now take a 15-minute break. Please use this time to stretch, grab a refreshment, and recharge. We will reconvene promptly at 10:35. Thank you!

Join us for a compelling session with eight DHA-RA and InternXL interns. Each presenter will have 12 minutes to share their research and program achievements, followed by a 3-minute Q&A session. It's going to be an inspiring exchange of ideas!

• Carmen Artiles, LHIP Park Planning Fellow,  Midwest Regional Office/Planning and Compliance/Planning
• Kai Guevara, LHIP Interdisciplinary Community Planner, Death Valley National Park/Division of Maintenance/Project Management Branch
• Pranneil Thankavel, MIS Science Communication Assistant, Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
• Tonya Messam, MIS Visitor Use Management Assistant, Rocky Mountain National Park 
• Antonio Hill, InternXL Interpretation, Education, and Visitor Services, and Research and Exhibit Enhancement  Intern, Camp Nelson National Monument
• Christian Harvey, InternXL Digital Interpretation and Exhibit Enhancement Intern, Reconstruction Era National Historical Park
• Ruqiyyah Muhammad, InternXL  Interpretation and Cultural Resource Intern, Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park
• Braxton Broady, HBCUI Public History Fellow, Castillo de San Marcos National Monument          

Take a well-deserved break and treat yourself to a delicious hour-long lunch. Enjoy a variety of delectable options to satisfy your cravings and recharge for the rest of the day.

Continuing with nine more riveting presentations from DHA-RA and InternXL interns.

• Cameron Tyler Jackson, InternXL Visitor Services and Education Intern, Freedom Riders National Monument
• Nya Bell, InternXL Pullman Steam Outreach Ambassador Intern, Pullman National Monument
• Michaela Hart, InternXL Education and Interpretation Intern, Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument
• R'Eion Featherstone, HBCUI Training and Professional Development Internship/RAI, National Parks of Boston
•  KaNya Turner, HBCUI Park Planning Fellow, Midwest Regional Office
• Valeria Caballero, LHIP Community Outreach and Interpretation Internship, Salem Maritime National Historic Site & Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site 
• Mia Pizzi, LHIP Cultural History Education Intern, Everglades National Park
• Michael Borbolla, MIS Natural Resource Management Assistant, Biscayne National Park/
• Fiorella Fernández, LHIP Natural Resource Intern, Biscayne National Park/ Natural Resource Management/ Fish and Wildlife Inventory & Monitoring Program

Last break of the day, and we're giving 15 minutes to refresh and refocus. Take this opportunity to stretch your legs, grab a quick snack, or simply take a moment to recharge.

Learn about the American Climate Corps (ACC), a groundbreaking initiative modeled after the Civilian Conservation Corps that will put a new, diverse generation of young Americans to work fighting the impacts of climate change today while gaining the skills they need to join the growing conservation, clean energy, and climate-resilience workforce of tomorrow. Hear from senior officials at AmeriCorps - the hub agency of the ACC - and corps alumni about how your NPS internship can lead to new opportunities in the ACC, AmeriCorps, or federal government service, and its contribution to both economic growth and environmental preservation.
This new program is part of President Biden’s landmark American Climate Corps – a groundbreaking initiative modeled after Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Civilian Conservation Corps that will put a new, diverse generation of young Americans to work fighting the impacts of climate change today while gaining the skills they need to join the growing clean energy and climate-resilience workforce of tomorrow.

We are grateful for the enriching discussions and insights shared. Let's carry this momentum forward into tomorrow when more opportunities for learning and collaboration await.

We'd love to hear your thoughts! Please share your feedback to help us make future events even better.!

HBCUI and XL interns invite  ALL INTERNS to participate in the National Parks Trivia dinner as a group at the Alero Restaurant  Each person will cover their own meal, but there will be exciting prizes for the trivia winners! Please RSVP to  Eboni Preston at epreston@hbcui.org or Mikeriya Bond at mbond@gyfoundation.org by Monday, August 5. We hope to see you there!