Name: Natasha Ring
Class Year: 2026
Major: Geology, History
Minor: Environmental Studies
 
Internship Organization:  Discovery Pathways
Internship Title:   Intern
Location:  South Philadelphia, PA
 
What’s happening at your internship? We would love to hear what kind of work you are doing!  

I have gotten to be involved with so many different programs at Discovery Pathways this summer! Early on, while the school year was wrapping up for local K-12 schools, much of my work involved preparing for the start of our Youth Environmental Leaders Program, assisting on field trip visits, and working at the community boating and family fishing events. I also got to watch my first dragon boat race, since the Discovery Pathways team had a regatta in Philadelphia which was really exciting. For the last month, I have primarily been assisting with the Youth Environmental Leaders Program. This program targets BIPOC, immigrant, and refugee youth and gives them opportunities to learn about leadership, public speaking, fishing, boating, water testing, and sustainability. For the leaders, returning students who are now serving as mentors to the new students, the program also aims to assist them with job readiness skills such as practicing interviews and creating a resume. I have also been busy with visits from local rec centers and community groups who visit us at FDR Park where we take them on nature walks, kayaking on Edgewood lake, or fishing. I have also been assisting at the free community boating and free family fishing programs which target the local Southeast Philadelphia community. These programs can serve hundreds of visitors on any given day, and are an excellent opportunity for me to learn more about the local communities and practice my public speaking skills.
 
Why did you apply for this internship? 

My concentration within Environmental Studies is Environmental Education, so I was looking for a summer internship that focused on Environmental Education. I learned about Discovery Pathways last fall after talking to one of my lab partners who had interned there last summer. I loved that Discovery Pathways was local to the area and had a focus on making environmental education accessible to the local community through practices like empowering students to translate instructions at our community boating events and free events.
 
Was there anything special about how you found this internship? 

I initially learned about Discovery Pathways through my lab partner, who had interned there last summer. Some students from Dr. Young’s Fish and Community Praxis Class, which I took this spring, were also placed at Discovery Pathways which gave me another opportunity to connect with Adam and the organization.  

What has been your favorite part of this internship?
 
My favorite part has definitely been working with the teenagers in our Youth Leaders Program, and learning from them. They have taught me so much on topics ranging from rowing and racing a dragon boat to what vendors to go to at the Southeast Asian Market to how I can communicate more clearly on our busy boating days. I have also tried many new foods based on their recommendations, including green papaya salad and lychee.