Finally Fall | Claudia Benitez

It is hard to believe this semester is already well into the fall season and the brilliant warmth of summer will soon be difficult to remember. This summer, I interned for the Trinity River Audubon Center, the Dallas branch of the National Audubon Society with headquarters in New York. The mission of National Audubon Society is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems and wildlife habitats with a focus on birds. As an intern, I had the opportunity to contribute to this mission in a variety of ways. My main focus consisted of guiding students through a hands-on nature and environmental learning experience as an “eco”-camp counselor. It was incredibly rewarding to help instill in my campers a passion for the environment and to watch this passion grow throughout the summer of canoeing, hiking, and bird watching.

I also took part in conservation efforts and tasks throughout the site such as documenting bird species daily, animal handling and maintenance of our wildlife on site, and maintenance of invasive species such as the dreaded and pesky Johnson grass. Overall, my summer was wonderfully spent at this Gold LEED certified oasis.  

More recently, since the start of the semester, I became busy in the preparation of an initiation ceremony for another organization that I serve for – The National Society of Collegiate Scholars. Students in the top 20% of their class are invited to join the society and participate in the many opportunities offered such as volunteering events, serving as weekly tutors at a local middle school, scholarship opportunities and free speaker events. As officers, we were very excited to initiate 50 new members into the society this semester and host their families at Purdue for the event.

Additionally, current exciting events on campus include Purdue’s very own Green Week 2014 taking place this week. Green Week consists of an entire week of events aimed at promoting and inspiring sustainable behavior through discussion, screenings, presentations, and activities.  The following link contains this week’s schedule of events http://www.purdue.edu/sustainability/news/getinvolved/greenweek14/index.html.