So, what have you been doing since you graduated from Environmental Studies some 3 years ago?
Since graduation I have been traveling as well as exploring different fields. I did (and still continue) an internship in Public Radio with the Kitchen Sisters (Nikki Silva and Davia Nelson) up in North Beach, San Francisco. I interned part time for one year. This school year I started my part time job as a garden coordinator-educator at Alice Fong Yu Alternative School in San Francisco. I'm hoping to continue exploring multimedia journalism and environmental education.
You can check out what happens in a school garden here: http://afygarden.wordpress.com as well as to follow what I've been doing there.
Any advice for recent ENVS grads looking to break into the Bay Area environmental education community?
I feel like there are a lot of part time jobs in the field of environmental/garden education in schools. Pay can range from $15-30 an hour depending on your program. Though most are independent consultant jobs, which means you file your own taxes, because you are funded by a parents association. Only downside is there are no benefits. I see a lot of [environmental education] job openings in San Francisco and the Bay Area. A good link to put yourself on for notification of garden education openings are on the SF Green Schoolyard Alliance ListServ (a yahoo group). It's a good way to gain experience and practice your teaching/outdoor classroom management skills.
Do you recommend graduate school right after completing a B.A.?
I would suggest graduate school only if you need the skills from it to further your career. I wouldn't suggest going back simply because you don't know what to do after college. I think a lot of students lack structure when they finish college and graduate school is a way to have that structure again. I would say enjoy your time off if you can. Explore and learn from the world now that you're free from school after 22 years of it.
How are you putting to use the experience you gained while interning?
I didn't do a senior internship, but I did take a lot of opportunities to go on week-long international field-trips through CAN and SOIL. Travel and seeing other parts of the world and hearing stories from people who live there was just as valuable as being in the classroom.
