My internship is complete and I am left completely satisfied! Overall, my experience met all of my expectations and more. I was able to learn new things and also give my input to different projects. Before I started my internship I thought that I would not be able to keep up with my supervisor and all of her tasks. It turned out that I knew more then I had thought. Also, throughout the duration of my internship I asked quite a few questions and also to have some examples of what my supervisor was looking for. This really helped me complete tasks that needed to be done without messing them up first! I really did not know how much GIS was used in every division within The City of Reading. Surprisingly enough, GIS was even used by the historical preservation division and trash and recycling. To be able to work GIS is a valuable skill and I can definitely see how often I will be using it in the future.
I hope that there are other students who are going down a tract involving GIS. If there are, this internship is perfect to build upon your skills and take what was learned in the classroom to real life situations. This internship has strengthened my overall goal of becoming an environmental consultant because of the variability involved in GIS. Within my time at graduate school, I plan on having at least 1 more internship. Internships not only get you the experience that is in high demand, but it also helps you become a better person. You gain skills such as communication, professionalism, and how to interact with people in your career.
Tree surveying for The City of Reading has also come to a conclusion. Surveying trees was a very interesting job and helped me learn a completely different area in my field! I learned that communication is key when working with partners in an important project such as this one. Being on the same page as your partners can help save time and frustration! My internship-filled summer has come to an end and I could not be happier! I can only imagine what internship I will run across next!
ALBRIGHT ELCDC 