Spotlight on Summer Interns 2025

Amelia Hawkins

University of Alabama at Birmingham
Current major: Natural Resources Interpretation
Area of JCG internship: Environmental Education
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Q: What inspired you to pursue an internship with Jefferson County Greenways?
A: "I’ve lived in Birmingham my whole life and wanted the chance to learn more about our greenspaces and share them with others. I also wanted to grow in my skills as a naturalist!"‍

Q: How would you describe the team dynamics here at our organization?
A: "Working with Emily, Hunter, and Stella has been great! They communicate so well as a team and were so encouraging. I learned a lot from them."

Q: How do you see your career evolving after this internship?
A: "I have fallen in love with Alabama's ecosystem and realized how many opportunities there are here for environmental education- I can see myself working here for a long time."

Addie Hunter

‍‍Samford University
Current major: Environmental Science
Area of JCG internship: Land Conservation
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Q: What inspired you to pursue an internship with Jefferson County Greenways?
A: "I wanted to broaden my experience with conservation. Most of my work experience is from other states across the US, but I haven’t been able to do much work in Alabama. I also have taken a lot of classes talking about land conservation, history, and geography of Alabama, but I haven’t really been able to use what I have learned in lectures. When I was looking for my next work experience, I thought that an internship at Jefferson County Greenways was just what I needed."

Q: What advice would you offer to future interns at our organization?
A: "For future land conservation interns my advice would be to be flexible. There is a lot of different kinds of projects going on across all the parks, and a lot of them just kind of show up as the day goes on, so be flexible and just about ready for anything. I would also say be prepared to work with what goes along with being outside like the heat and bugs, but also enjoy being outside because the internship goes by fast."

Q: What has been the most rewarding part of your internship experience?
A: "The most rewarding part of my internship experience has been the small and local impact that I have been able to make this summer. A lot of these parks, especially Red Mountain, I have spent a lot of time outdoors in this internship. I am so glad that I was able to work in these spaces and do projects that I can maybe keep seeing the impact of as I return to the parks. I also just loved being able to be outside and enjoy the wildlife, plant life, and history of these spaces as I worked."

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Carolyne Vincent Mbirika

Jacksonville State University
Degree awarded: Master of Science in Geographic Information Science & Technology
Area of JCG internship: GIS
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Q: What inspired you to pursue an internship with Jefferson County Greenways?
A: "I was drawn to Jefferson County Greenways because of its focus on conserving natural spaces, which is one of the areas I am most passionate about using GIS. The chance to work with real data that supports conservation efforts really aligned with my interests and made this internship feel like the right fit. I have always wanted to apply my GIS skills in ways that directly support environmental conservation and benefit communities, and this opportunity gave me the perfect environment to do that. It was also exciting to be part of an organization that values sustainability and public engagement, which made the experience even more meaningful."

Q: Can you describe a project or task you worked on that you found particularly impactful or exciting?
A: "One of the most meaningful tasks I worked on was organizing and cleaning mapping data for the three natural spaces managed by Jefferson County Greenways. I focused on making the data more structured and accessible, this involved checking location data, fixing errors, and making sure the maps were well-organized for both internal use and public access. It was exciting to know that my work would help support future planning, conservation, and recreational access. The experience also gave me a deeper understanding of how data management plays a key role in real-world decision making."
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Q: How do you see your career evolving after this internship?
A: "This internship has strengthened my desire to work in applied GIS, particularly in roles that intersect with public service, environmental planning, or local government. It gave me a better sense of the kind of impact I can make through GIS work and helped me refine my career goals. I now feel more confident in pursuing positions that allow me to work with spatial data to support community development, environmental conservation, and infrastructure planning."

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The summer internship positions at Jefferson County Greenways were made possible thanks to the generous support and funding from CAWCA RC&D and Sierra Club, Alabama Chapter.

Learn more about out Summer Internship Program.