Where are you from?
Brentwood, Long Island, NY
Where do you attend school? Share with us the city/town, what you are majoring in, what your academic interests are?
I am currently a rising 2nd year graduate student in the Masters of Landscape Architecture program at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, NY. My undergraduate degree was a B.A. in Architecture and Environmental Science from the University of Pennsylvania. My design interests are heavily focused in ecological restoration and environmental education through design.
What are your career or educational goals?
My immediate goals include the completion of the MLA program to achieve the baseline information gathering needed to continue in the field. I have been fortunate enough to continue remote work as a Landscape Ecologist while completing my degree which has allowed me the opportunity to continue with a heavy science presence while learning the design components. Moving into the future, I would like to combine my scientific experience with more social and cultural applications through design.
Outside of school and work what are your hobbies and/or interests?
Prior to this week, digital botanical drawing would have been top of the list as my current hobby. However, my partner and I just adopted a new puppy who has lovingly taken any time that was previously available. We spend most of our time training and going out for long walks, as puppy energy is quite high!
What is your internship project focus? Explain what you will be doing, which parks/partners will you be working with? Who is your mentor at OCLP?
This summer I will be experimenting with predictive tree growth models for the Flight 93 National Memorial in Stoystown, PA. Initial work will consist of site modeling and representation of existing conditions. This will then transition into representation of existing trees and their particular growth habits and physical setting to better understand future actions as part of the preparation for the Cultural Landscape Report (CLR) for the site. My internship with the Design The Parks program is in partnership with the Latino Heritage Internship Program (LHIP) and SUNY ESF. From SUNY ESF, Professors John Auwaerter and Aidan Ackerman will be guiding me through the project.
Why did you choose to participate in a Designing the Parks Internship? How is your internship hosted? (Examples include: LHIP, NCPE, ACE, HBCUI, Mosaics in Science, etc)
A DTP alum was a very large influence in my decision to participate. They were enthusiastic not only about the unique design opportunity they were involved in, but also the community and network potentials that were incorporated into their internship. While the program has slightly shifted due to current health events, I still hold the same level excitement to be involved the Flight 93 National Memorial project and the OCLP staff. There is also the added benefit of being able to test out new software and digital representation methods for a site that so unique and socially and culturally significant. This internship will hopefully allow me to expand my knowledge in these areas in which I have had not yet had as much experience in.
I am hosted through the LHIP program which has the added networking opportunities with other young professionals across the country.
What are you looking forward to learning or exploring during your internship?
I am most curious to learning more about social and cultural representation through digital methods. While the site knowledge and context is extremely important, I am interested to see how the graphics to be produced this summer will better inform future decision making opportunities. I also hope to learn more about the CLR process in general and many of the other DTP interns will be heavily involved on that end.
What types of opportunities will Designing the Parks provide you with?
Designing the Parks will hopefully provide continued networking opportunities not only within the OCLP but with current and former DTP interns as well. For many, this was the starting point to their careers, so the ability to see how this experience transitions into the future is exciting. For my fellow associates who have recently started, we have plenty to learn from each other during the duration of our internships.
There is also the potential to understand larger NPS workings and operations. This will be extremely helpful, for those of us who have much to learn about where our current educational and career tracks can lead us.
Designing the Parks 