This summer, I had the great pleasure of interning with the Wahine Project here in Monterey, California. The Wahine Project is a local non-profit focused on expanding access to ocean and beach environments through inclusive surfing opportunities for children aged 4-14, and I was drawn to their focus on inspiring future generations to protect the ocean through engaging outdoor education and activities.
I thoroughly enjoyed my summer experiences — spending time at the beach and in the ocean, supporting environmental education initiatives, and connecting with the local community. Alongside volunteering to support operations at the beach, I worked on creating an internal, institutional resource. This educational booklet sought to help staff enhance their environmental knowledge and facilitate their leading of on-the-beach environmental activities. The booklet addressed topics, such as: the threat to marine life from ocean plastic pollution and anthropogenic climate change, inspirational women leaders in the environmental community, and actions individuals can take to protect our environments. This resource, and my time at the beach, sought to go beyond informational awareness and supporting programming, striving to inspire program participants to become active stewards of the environment.
Some of my summer highlights include:
Putting on a wetsuit and dunking in the Pacific (my first time!)
Seeing three pods of dolphins from the beach over the course of the summer — the third was on my last day; a wonderful goodbye!
Supporting girls overcome nervousness and develop confidence in the ocean — watch their love of the ocean grow was inspiring!
Educating girls about environmental challenges and actionable responses
Feeling connected to the local community and to our local environment
What did you accomplish with your host organization? What was the impact of your work?
My impacts were two-fold; encouraging children to engage meaningfully with the ocean and environmental actions/activities and creating an informational toolkit to support future staff volunteers and instructors in their leading of activities.
The comprehensive educational resource I developed was a blend between an informational booklet and implementation toolkit, striving to equip staff with strategies, discussion questions and prompts, scientific facts, and local histories to inspire curiosity and ocean stewardship. One section I enjoyed creating was focused on inspirational women across a range of environmental fields, highlighting pioneering female oceanographers, marine biologists, conservationists, surfers, and environmental activists who have made significant contributions to our understanding and protection of marine ecosystems. This section aligned perfectly with The Wahine Project’s mission of empowering girls and women while connecting environmental stewardship to female leadership and achievement.
I hope that this resource will encourage both staff and children participating in the program to engage in larger environmental conversations. As an institutional resource, I hope it can be used and updated over time to support their mission for years to come.
Describe the benefits of this experience for you professionally and personally?
This internship gave me valuable, hands-on experience creating accessible, educational materials focused on supporting educators to have an impact, strengthening my skills in environmental education and curricular design. Developing practical resources tailored for younger learners developed my ability to communicate complex, interconnected systems of knowledge via accessible, easy-to-follow resources and formats, strengthening my outreach ability. These skills feel deeply valuable to my future career in environmental policy, outreach, and education.
Personally, this experience was deeply fulfilling and engaging, as I got the pleasure of working with children to further develop their connection to the ocean, local stewardship, and to others in the community. Watching friendships flourish, first-time experiences, and inspiring confidence were all fulfilling and deeply meaningful. Working outdoors and seeing the enthusiasm of children encountering the ocean and environmental education strengthened my passion for EJ work and the value of inclusive, sustainable, community action.
Did your experience provide any unexpected discovery, self-reflection, or epiphany?
This experience felt unexpectedly grounding and meaningful, as I found joy in both spending time in the ocean while supporting a community-centered initiative that deeply values inspiring environmental stewardship in younger generations. With previous experiences in youth-centered non-profits, this internship highlighted the power of ocean-based exploration paired with education to foster both connection and action. I enjoy making knowledge accessible to all ages to inspire action, and felt lucky to engage directly with young people to inspire stewardship and curiosity about our shared environment this summer. Thank you!