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DRBC Interns: Where are They Now?

The DRBC offers paid internships to college and university students during the summer and sometimes throughout the year. We appreciate all the work they do while with the Commission, from water quality monitoring to data management to communications and outreach. We wanted to showcase several who have interned with the Commission in recent years, highlighting where they are today and their thoughts on their experiences as DRBC interns. 

 

DRBC Water Quality Intern Eric Wentz. Photo by DRBC. 

DRBC Water Quality Intern Eric Wentz. Eric is currently employed as an Environmental Engineer with Kimberly-Clark at the Chester Mill in Delaware County, Pa.

 

My internship at DRBC helped me advance my career by giving me the skills, experience and confidence to excel at any job in my field. It also helped me understand the importance of working toward a common mission and the collaboration needed amongst various interested parties to complete complex projects within budget and time constraints.

DRBC Water Resource Planning Intern Hannah Doherty. Photo courtesy of Hannah Doherty. 

DRBC Legal Intern Hannah Doherty. Hannah is currently employed as a Policy Analyst with the NYC Dept. of Environmental Protection's Integrated Water Management Group.

 

I have been always been keenly interested in transboundary water management, and DRBC was the perfect place to learn from experts in this field and to observe the legwork involved in managing the Delaware River.

 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hpdoherty/

DRBC Water Resource Planning Intern Seth Heinicke. Photo by DRBC.

DRBC Water Resource Planning Intern Seth Heinicke. Seth is currently employed as a Help Desk Technician with Logic Choice Business Technologies.

 

I had a great experience interning with DRBC. They provided me with tasks that challenged my problem solving skills. I also was able to sit in on project meetings and gain experience in the way they handle project management. Problem solving and project management are a big part of my job today, so it was great to have this experience going into my interview with Logic Choice.

DRBC Water Quality Intern Megan Andreasen. Photo by DRBC.

DRBC Water Quality Intern Megan Andreasen. Megan is currently a senior at The Ohio State University studying environmental science with a water science specialization.

 

Through my internship with DRBC and more recently with Clean Ocean Action, I have realized my passion for ocean research. I am currently applying to graduate school to study Biological Oceanography/Marine Sciences in the fall of 2020. I am thankful for all of my past experiences, including my internship at DRBC, which helped me discover my passions and create goals for the future!

 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/megan-andreasen

DRBC Water Resource Planning Intern Isabel Rodriguez. Photo by DRBC. 

DRBC Water Resource Planning Intern Isabel Rodriguez. Isabel is currently working towards her Masters in City and Regional Planning at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy of Rutgers University.

 

Through my internship at DRBC, I acquired key professional skills such as proficiency in Excel working with large data sets, critical reading skills reviewing official permits, and data collection in the field working with other interns. I'm glad DRBC gave me the opportunity to do great work during the summer. The experience has opened a lot of doors for my professional and academic career.


LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isabel-rodriguez-420747b5/

DRBC Water Quality Intern Julia Ragazzo. Photo by DRBC.

DRBC Water Quality Intern Julia Ragazzo. Julia is currently employed as a Staff Scientist for Langan Engineering.

 

During my time at DRBC, I enjoyed getting my feet wet (literally) performing different field activities within the Delaware River Basin. Learning different sampling methods definitely prepared me for the future; as a Staff Scientist in environmental consulting, I perform many tasks out in the field. I also was able to experience working in an office, where I helped organize sampling events and learned about permits, regulations, and something I did not anticipate: coding. All of this experience that I gained from my internship is what made me a strong candidate for the job I perform now. Big thanks to everyone at DRBC!

DRBC Water Quality Intern Andrew Garcia. Photo by DRBC.

DRBC Water Quality Intern Andrew Garcia. Andrew is currently employed as a GIS Specialist/Environmental Scientist at BEM Systems Inc. 

 

My time at DRBC was the most fun I had since finishing school at Rowan University (Geography major). First, I was hosted at DRBC as a Watershed Ambassador, then worked as a Water Quality Intern. I really enjoyed when we had biomonitoring because I got to  spend time in the water and learn from the best scientists about studying the Delaware River. It's nice to see a group of people such as DRBC so committed to making sure the ecosystem continues to improve and flow despite all the challenges that come with it.

 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-garcia-730482a7

DRBC Water Resource Planning Intern Allie Kaltenbach. Photo by DRBC.

DRBC Water Resource Planning Intern Allie Kaltenbach. Allie is currently employed as an environmental engineer at Roux Associates, an environmental consulting firm.

 

As an intern at DRBC I got my first experience working in the environmental field. I learned a lot about water resource management, permitting, and drought/flood prevention techniques. A lot of what I learned about permitting has been helpful in my current career because now instead of reviewing different permits, I am the one filling them out and reporting things to the state. I also worked a fair amount with excel and GIS during my time with DRBC that I now use on a daily basis. Overall, my time at DRBC was very enjoyable and I learned a lot about protecting our most precious natural resource: water.


LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allison-kaltenbach-1b71a8128/

Taylor Rizzo

Water Resource Planning Intern. Taylor is currently employed as a data consultant at SDG Group and is working towards her Master's of Science in Data Science at Drexel University.

 

DRBC introduced me to databases and data management, which facilitated my interest in data analysis, which is a huge part of my current career path and my studies at Drexel.

 
 

DRBC Communications Intern Victoria Deck. Photo by DRBC.

DRBC Communications Intern Victoria Deck. Victoria is currently employed as a Communications and Marketing Assistant with the American Society of Human Genetics in Washington DC.

 

My internship with the DRBC gave me the necessary communications and social media experience that I needed to compete in the job market. It also gave me an insight in the state legislative process.

DRBC Water Resource Planning Intern Justine Zola. Photo by DRBC. Water Resource Planning Intern Justine Zola. Justine is currently in her senior year at Stevens Institute of Technology, where she is majoring in Environmental Engineering.

 

I had a really positive experience interning at DRBC. I participated in a research project that estimated the water and carbon emission savings from installing WaterSense appliances into newly built homes within the New Jersey portion of the Delaware River Basin. I also learned how to review docket files and edit the Project Review Database. This experience will help me in my future endeavors, as it familiarized me with different software programs (such as R) and grew my confidence in a professional environment. 

 

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/justine-zola

DRBC Communications/Outreach Intern Alex Servis. Photo by DRBC. 

DRBC Communications/Outreach Intern Alex Servis. Alex is currently in his junior year at The State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry studying Conservation Biology.

 

Interning for the DRBC in the Communications Branch was an incredibly educational and cherished experience that I will not soon forget. Strengthening my ability to communicate effectively, plan and coordinate among colleagues, work collaboratively on projects as a department and also learn how dedicated and committed our federal and interstate agencies are to our communities was truly a wonderful opportunity.

 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-servis-892191154/

DRBC Communications/Outreach Intern Meg Ruggles. Photo by DRBC.

DRBC Communications/Outreach Intern Meg Ruggles. Meg is currently in her junior year at Monmouth University majoring in Communication, with a concentration in Journalism and Public Relations, and minoring in Political Science.

 

Working at DRBC helped me assimilate to the position of News Editor at Monmouth’s award-winning paper, The Outlook. Because my internship included the responsibility for coordinating events, I learned how to draft outreach plans to limit miscommunication about events and brief employee volunteers. The format of an outreach plan has allowed me to structure information effectively as News Editor. Furthermore, DRBC allowed me to understand corporate structure. I sat in on cross-department meetings where the interplay between the divisions was made evident. I learned how these meetings are vital to spreading information throughout the agency. When I seek employment, I will be aware of how central cross-department collaboration is for a company to execute its responsibilities effectively. I worked with so many incredible people at DRBC and learned so much beyond my field. 

Water Quality Intern Vicki Trucksess. Photo by DRBC.

DRBC Water Quality Intern Vicki Trucksess. Vicki is currently working towards her Masters of Arts in Teaching Biology from Miami University; she plans to become a science teacher to help educate young scientists. She is also employed as an aquatic biologist at Great Blue, where she conducts daily surveys of ponds and lakes throughout NJ to determine potential current or future threats to plant and fish populations. 

 

I don’t think I can say enough positive things about my experience interning at the Commission. The skills I learned while interning as a water quality scientist I carry with me daily as an aquatic biologist. Through this internship I gained an incredible network of engineers, biologists, hydrologists and modelers, not only from the Commission, but from many organizations. I also gained confidence as a young scientist, as I had the opportunity to learn permitting, regulations, coding and a handful of different sampling methods. I especially loved the biomonitoring projects and helping with the eutrophication team! 

DRBC Water Quality Intern Scott Jedrusiak. Photo by DRBC.

DRBC Water Quality Intern Scott Jedrusiak. Scott is currently in his senior year at Temple University, where he is majoring in Environmental Science and continuing his research on microplastics in the Delaware River Basin. 

 

My experience at the DRBC not only gave me a wealth of knowledge of the water quality field, but it also led to a greater sense of self-affirmation. Continuing my education in a new field after a long hiatus from school, joining the water quality team at the DRBC assured me that I was in the right field. During my time there, I learned the intricacies of proper water and bacterial sampling techniques for many projects, how to interpret lab reports and how to use GIS more effectively. I was also part of a team that collected microplastics samples in the Delaware River Basin, and I am currently analyzing these samples at Temple University. I gained invaluable knowledge from everyone at the DRBC and had a great time working with such a dynamic staff. My time at the DRBC has given me the confidence and the knowledge to pursue future endeavors in the environmental field. Thank you to everyone at the DRBC!