Sustainability & Environmental Studies
Internships
Ready to build your resume? Working for an employer or organization off-campus (either paid or unpaid) gives you critical on-the-job skills, connections, and the opportunity to try out a type of job for a short time. Internships are by far the best way to make your resume more competitive.
Lots of flexibility is possible within the ENV-450 internship credit option. Earn one course credit per 40 hours of work, typically up to 3 credits (120 hours of work). Sign up for summer or any semester - just make sure to register for the credit before completing the work.
Dr. Alysa Remsburg (4106 Centennial Hall or aremsburg@uwlax.edu) serves as the faculty advisor for Sustainability and Environmental Studies internships.
Process
Here’s the process:
- Find an organization or employer who will direct your work. Talk with potential mentors about your goals and skills, your availability, and ask how you could be helpful to the organization. Some students find their internships posted on the Career Services page, the Sustainable Agriculture website, www.indeed.com or the Sustain UWL Facebook page, but many times students just ask about opportunities at an organization of interest. Listed below are examples of previous student internships. Please also look into the Prairie Springs unpaid internship grant. A meeting with Alysa Remsburg could help you consider options in the La Crosse area.
- Submit your internship plan to Alysa Remsburg using this Internship Approval Form. Please save a copy of your completed form, since you will use it when writing the final essay.
- Register for credits in the Career Services office by meeting with Courtney Pearson. Please email cpearson@uwlax.edu or talk with the front desk in Centennial 1209 to make a short appointment.
- Turn in two work progress reports through the Career Service's Handshake system.
- After completing your work hours, turn in a 2-3 page reflection paper on:
- Lessons from the internship
- Assessment of how well you met each of your stated learning goals in number 6 of the ENV Internship Pre-approval form
- Meet with Alysa Remsburg in a practice interview format to explain what you gained from the internship experience. This interview could be conducted before or after submitting your final reflection paper, which will include much of the same things you discuss in the interview.
Cooperating Organizations
The following organizations have worked with Sustainability and Environmental Studies student interns recently or expressed interest in having student interns. Feel free to pursue options at a completely different type of organization too.
- Chartwells (La Crosse)
- Clean Wisconsin (Madison)
- Clearwater Farm (Onalaska)
- Coulee Region Ecoscapes (La Crosse)
- Dairyland Power (La Crosse)
- Deep Roots Farm (La Crosse)
- Faville Grove Sanctuary, Madison Audubon
- GROW La Crosse
- Gundersen (La Crosse)
- Echo Valley Farm (Ontario, WI)
- Hillview Urban Agricultural Center (La Crosse)
- La Crosse County Solid Waste Department
- Minnesota Zoo
- Mississippi Valley Conservancy (La Crosse)
- Prairie Restorations (Lewiston, MN)
- Stand for Salmon (Alaska)
- Sustainable La Crosse Commission
- US Fish & Wildlife Service (Brice Prairie Visitor Center, Genoa Hatchery)
- Western Technical College (La Crosse)
- Wiscorps (La Crosse and beyond)
- Xcel Energy (La Crosse)
Prairie Springs Unpaid Internship Grant
Prairie Springs Unpaid Internship Grant ($1,500; Fall & Spring Deadlines)
The Prairie Springs Fund will provide grants for unpaid internships. To be eligible for this grant, the unpaid internship must be related to environmental studies or wildlife habitat protection and conservation. Students must have already accepted the internship offer before applying for the grant. In addition to the general scholarship application, there are supplemental questions.
Supplemental Questions:
- Are you registered for academic credit for an unpaid internship?
- Through what course number are you registered to get credit for this internship?
- Is your internship unpaid?
- Internship title
- Employer name and location (city, state)
- UWL faculty intern advisor name
- Beginning and end date of your internship (ex. Oct. 1, 2023 to Dec. 23, 2023)
- How many hours per week will you work at your internship? (average per week)
- Did you transfer to UWL from another college or university?
- Describe your duties/responsibilities/projects in the internship and the skills and knowledge that you will gain.
- Describe how this internship will contribute to your career goals?
- Describe your financial need and the impact this grant could have.
- Describe how this internship is relevant to environmental studies or wildlife habitat protection and conservation.
For more information on the UWL Foundation website, please follow the link.
Students must apply through the Foundation Scholarship Application Portal (use Prairie Springs as the search filter).
Student Internship Testimonials
Dairyland Power
Ellie Meyer, Communications Major, intern at Dairyland Cooperative: “I contributed and drafted articles for their stewardship practices such as the Peregrine Falcon restoration and nesting sites, bluffland preservation, green fleet, and zero plastic water bottles in the office buildings.”
Ellie Meyer Dairyland
Sustainability Institute
Alyssa Lamer, Business Management Major, Sustainability Institute intern: “I was able to meet so many influential people from the local community which has really opened my eyes to all the opportunities that can arise through networking. I was pleasantly surprised that there are many companies in the La Crosse areas are committed to becoming more sustainable.”
GROW La Crosse
Megan Salvin, Political Science Major, GROW La Crosse intern: “Working for GROW La Crosse this past semester has been the highlight of my senior year. I’ve been able to develop many personal and professional skills.”
La Crosse County Solid Waste Department
Shelby Jacobson, Geography Major, intern at La Crosse County Solid Waste Department: “Nick and Hank helped me see that if you are doing something that you love, then it can never be work.”
Shelby Jacobson
(photo: Interns Dan Liska and Shelby Jacobson at the Wisc. Integrated Resource Management Conference, photo by Dan Liska)
Mississippi Valley Conservancy
Mike Olaf, Business Management Major, intern at Mississippi Valley Conservancy: “I learned a lot about the MVC, the function of non-profit organizations, event planning, and office work in general. I know that I will be able to take away several things that will be applicable to my future workplace.”
Mike Olaf
(Photo by David Bange)
Deerfield Water Reclamation Facility
Kyle Ziegler, Biology Major, intern at Deerfield Water Reclamation Facility: “After witnessing the way professionals work together to solve problems, I understand that patience and being open to others’ opinions will only help the situation, whatever it may be.”
Kyle Ziegler
(photo by Kyle Ziegler)
Minnesota Zoo
Bailey Abbott, Biology Major, intern at Minnesota Zoo: “Taking on a new challenge everyday really motivated me and inspired me to keep wanting to learn about the zoo culture. New crises and experiences arose daily.”
(photo by Bailey Abbot)
California Organic Farm and Resort
Jake Lacey, Public Administration Major, intern at California Organic Farm and Resort: “I have met some truly wonderful people who visit the farm that have helped me think about my future and what I want to do with it.”
Jake Lacey
(Photo by Jake Lacey)
Mission:
The UW-La Crosse Environmental Studies Program educates and transforms students through interdisciplinary and experiential learning. We foster student engagement with the principles of sustainability, stewardship, justice, and citizenship, from local to global levels.
Values:
• innovative approaches that enhance the integration of the natural sciences,
social sciences, arts, and humanities
• shared experiences, service learning, and field trips, which create a sense of
individual identity and group cohesion
• personal connections to local environments and cultivating a sense of place
• knowledge of and commitment to environmental stewardship, through
community partnership and shared expertise