ALASKA - National Intern Day on July 29 is worthy of recognizing interns and the development of future leaders. Rebeca Adam is just completing her time in the Alaska Regional office as a Partnership, Volunteer and Services Program resource assistant.

Her internship through a partnership with Conservation Legacy – an organization supporting local programs that provide conservation service opportunities for youth, young adults, and veterans to work on public lands and in their communities – began in February 2021.

During her internship, Adam took the lead on building a web presence for the Alaska Region partnership program and working with partners to strengthen and share the positive impacts that promote inclusivity and sustainability in support of accomplishing the mission of the Forest Service.

Her work with partner organizations enhanced her ability to share and document the partnership accomplishments to the public. “I am most proud of how far the partnership program webpage has progressed,” said Adam. “It has been incredibly rewarding to work with Forest Service staff and the partners to update and add content. Through this project I’ve learned about every aspect of partnerships and the incredible work the Forest Service achieves through partner efforts.”

Adam shared that potential interns should think about what motivates them and use that motivation to seek out positions that help them achieve their goals. She added that an intern needs to practice time management skills. “As I worked fulltime as an intern and attended school fulltime, maintaining a balanced schedule has been incredibly beneficial to my success in both areas.”

After her internship ends in July, Adam will enter her senior year at the University of California, Santa Barbara and plans to work toward attending law school in the future.

Adam will likely still pursue government positions but is also interested in environmental nonprofits. Working with the Forest Service has provided a new perspective that led her to understand how the government operates and how priorities are managed.

“The internship has truly reinforced my desire to pursue a career in environmental law and I am anxious to see where the world takes me,” Adam said.