WASHINGTON, DC — The USDA Forest Service strives to excel as a high-performing agency and the Research and Development deputy area aims to support this goal by recruiting and retaining a fresh and diverse workforce.

This July, Research and Development welcomed 24 Resource Assistants Program interns to the Forest Service’s headquarters for a hallmark capstone event. Leaders from all deputy areas imparted interns with stories and career advice and introduced them to the range of agency disciplines and program areas. These discussions helped interns build community with leaders and among themselves as they prepare for the next step in their careers — both within the Forest Service and elsewhere.

Research and Development piloted this capstone event to engage, retain and hire resource assistant interns. The event occurred six months into the program, the point when many of the interns become eligible for direct hire authority.

Throughout the week, interns explored how the agency helps protect nature and improve the lives of present and future people. They also grappled with more contentious aspects of agency history, like disparities in hiring practices and unjust treatment of Indigenous people. Other trip highlights included touring the Sidney R. Yates building, attending the Deputy Chief’s Awards and visiting the U.S. Capitol, Smithsonian museums and other D.C. landmarks.

The Forest Service Resource Assistants Program provides recent college graduates a paid opportunity to develop their skills in conservation, natural and cultural resources, environmental management, research and development, and other career opportunities within the agency. Through the program, interns receive mentorship, authentic job experience and connections throughout the agency and beyond. Started in 2016, the program marks the first federal internship to provide participants direct hire authority after they work 960 hours.

Resource assistant interns with Research and Development work hand-in-hand with program leaders, scientists and communicators to generate data, synthesize reports, connect with partners and tell stories — preparing them to one day lead their fields.