Alecia Jurado,
Environmental Science & Policy Senior
National Geographic Society Intern

 

 

Alecia Jurado
Education Programs intern at the National Geographic Society
Environmental Science and Policy BA
Senior

 

 After I was accepted into the internship program at the National Geographic Society, I noticed one particular question that kept popping up in my daily life. This question was the overly exaggerated “How in the world did you manage to get an internship THERE!?” Most of the time people walk away with a slightly less exciting answer than what they had anticipated. Most people expect me to list off a huge amount of achievements that got me into this cozy cubicle on the corner of the 2^nd floor conference room. In reality, I’m just like any other obsessed environmental student. I’m not a straight A student or a science prodigy (I got a C in chemistry my freshman year and celebrated because it meant I had passed!). The resume I submitted to National Geographic was one page long with no prior work experience in this field apart from some summer volunteer work at the Florida Aquarium. And trust me, scrubbing the slime off the stingray tank was not much of a career builder, but it did help me find my passion and it was this passion that lead me to this very specific internship.  

Ask anyone that’s ever met me and they’ll tell you what I love most in the world: the Ocean. I was the little kid that grew up sorting through seaweed on the beach while everyone else was building sandcastles. I’m the girl that will go fishing with her dad just to pick through the critters that come up as by catch in his cast net.  Yup, I’m an ocean hugger and proud!

Ever since I was little I knew I was going to be a marine biologist. Obviously it was the best career for a girl like me. It wasn’t until high school that my passion expanded beyond the ocean’s waters. While scrubbing off the slime of the stingray tanks, I would have eager kids line up to ask me questions. I loved watching their eyes widen as I showed them how Rosie (the large Southern stingray) can suck a fish right off my hand. It made my day to watch them run over to their parents and repeat the facts I had just given them. It was right there, in the middle of the slimy smelly stingray tank, that I discovered my other passion – education.

I might as well be honest with you now. I am not, nor will I ever be, a teacher. I have the utmost respect for teachers because, frankly, I don’t have the patience or energy to teach the same subject to the same bored kids day after day. But at the aquarium, I wasn’t a normal teacher. I was the cool aquarium lady who fed the stingray from her hands! The kids that came up to me genuinely wanted to hear what I had to say. They left the aquarium that day with not only knowledge, but also an appreciation for the animals they learned about. So I decided I wanted to share my love of the ocean with everyone I could. I’m talking about kids, adults, teachers, businesses, leaders – anyone who will listen.

As I got further into Environmental Science and Policy at Florida State, I gained an appreciation and love for all parts of the environment, but secretly the ocean still remained my favorite. I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my degree, however when people asked me what my plans were, I could never find the perfect way to explain it. I wanted to be an ambassador of the environment, not a scientist or politician, but an educator. It was that concept that lead me to National Geographic – a 125 year old exploring, inspiring, and EDUCATING society.

So how did I get in? Well that’s simple. Like most great opportunities in life, I happened to find myself searching in the right place at the right time. I knew my family had a connection with someone who is part of the National Geographic community so I gave him my resume and he agreed to pass it along and maybe, just maybe there would be a spot that my talents could fill. Of course, it was a long shot and I didn’t get my hopes up. Most interns at the Society are geography, photography, or journalism majors - three things I know very little about. The biggest step was not being discouraged. I knew my goals were unique and I knew my strengths were specific. I wanted to find a place where they could be used. At this exact moment in time, that place happened to be National Geographic. So I just call it what it is… luck, a lot of luck.