Name: Zoe Shinefield
Class Year: 2022
Major: Environmental Studies
Hometown: Grinnell, Iowa
Internship Organization: Imagine Grinnell
Job Title: Marvin Garden Intern
Endowed Internship Funding Award: Green Grant
Location: Grinnell, Iowa
What’s happening at your internship?
I have been managing a local community “giving” garden while also researching the ways the organization can more effectively connect to the community. My day-to-day might consist of a meeting in the morning, a mid-day gardening break, and an afternoon informational interview. I help coordinate volunteers, distribute materials, conduct interviews, and document information on garden management and community engagement. Of course, everything has to be done remotely due to the pandemic. My meetings and interviews are conducted over Zoom, Teams or Webex. I communicate with volunteers over email and a website I created for garden coordination, and my occasional trips to the garden are solitary.
Why did you apply for this internship?
As might be deduced from my major, I care deeply about community connections to the environment. This internship allows me to work with a nonprofit in my hometown whose mission is to create a more vibrant and thriving community through engagement with the environment. I am currently working on an initiative to connect community members to the process of growing food in a garden, which is a particular passion of mine.
Working remotely for the first time? What has that experience been like for you?
This is my first time working remotely for an extended period of time, and it is not without its challenges. I’ve especially noticed a breakdown in my usual banter with colleagues; rather than popping over to the office across the hall, I often find myself stuck on questions that have a quick and easy answer. I’ve developed a greater appreciation for the exchange of ideas that occurs in casual conversations with coworkers, and am learning to better utilize exchanges over email and video chats.
Can you give us three adjectives and three nouns that describe your internship experience?
Growing produce, open mind, virtual meetings.
Visit the Summer 2020 Internships page to read more student stories.