Meet Employees, Interns, and Volunteers Working in the National Park Service

A collage of NPS staff in the shape of the NPS arrowhead

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Ever thought about what the National Park Service preserves and protects? Hear from employees, volunteers, and interns alike on what they do and what they love about their job. Explore short videos below.

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Hello. My name is Ranger Sonya. I work at San Antonio missions National Historical Park. I'm interpretive park Ranger. My job entails visitor center operations along with creating programs for various audiences. What I love most about my job is that I get to meet people from all walks of life. People from all different backgrounds can come here to this space and decompress.

My parents used to take us camping in California and Texas, and national parks are some of the best places to escape into nature. The first time I participated in the Junior Ranger Program, I saw the possibility of my future. I'm also a proud Texan, as I've been a San Antonio resident for over 20 years.

Working at San Antonio missions has opened my eyes even more into understanding the beautiful culture we have here in this city, whether it's the food, the art or the architecture. It made me appreciate and want to take care of the heritage of our local community. These are your national parks. Start with your local national parks, and don't be afraid to speak up or ask questions. Enjoy them.

Escape from your daily routines. Learn about your country's history and beautiful landscapes. Keep continuing to spread your experiences to your friends and family, and encourage future generations to see the intrinsic value of these places.

Duration:

1 minute, 23 seconds

Sanya Marin - Park Ranger

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Hello. My name is Andrew Shirey. I'm an interpretive park guide at San Antonio Missions National Historical Park. And I lead guided tours of these sites and share their history with visitors from all over the world. One of the many things I love about my job, other than just getting to see these amazing places and experience them, is getting to share the stories of these places with people from all over the world.

Now, my personal connection to the National Park Service really started off with my childhood, growing up and traveling with my family every summer to these beautiful and unique places. And I've had grandparents that have volunteered over 15-plus years to the National Park Service as well.

Now, to me, one of the best ways to grow your own personal connection to the parks is just to get out and see them. Find the beauty and the stories of these places that resonate with you. And if you're interested in getting involved with the National Park Service, there are so many ways to do so, whether it's through volunteering, doing an internship, or even becoming a ranger yourself.

I started off as a seasonal park ranger before eventually becoming a permanent ranger here at San Antonio Missions National Historical Park. And now I get to share the stories and protect these places for this and future generations every single day.

Duration:

1 minute, 17 seconds

Andrew Shirey - Interpretive Park Guide

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Hi, my name is Esther and I am a project management intern with a major construction division through the Build Up Technical Internship Program. In my role, I support projects that help improve and maintain facilities and infrastructure across the National Park Service. What I enjoy most about my work is seeing how planning, construction, and project management come together to support visitors, employees, and park resources.

My personal connection to national parks has grown through this internship. Before joining the National Park Service, I experienced parks as places to just visit and explore. Now I have the opportunity to see the work that happens behind the scenes to help preserve these special places and ensure they remain accessible for the future generations.

I think one of the best ways visitors can develop a personal connection to a national park is by taking the time to slow down, explore, and learn the stories behind the places they visit. Whether it's through nature, history, culture or recreation, there's something meaningful for everyone to discover. For anyone interested in getting involved with the National Park Service, my advice is to be open to opportunities and experiences that help you learn. There are many different career paths within the National Park Service, and each one plays an important role in supporting our national parks.

Duration:

1 minute, 27 seconds

Esther Burnett - Build Up Intern

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Hi there. My name is Sophie Schell. And I'm an Eagle Scout from Washington DC. My love for the national parks started in fourth grade when I walked into the Badlands National Park with my family, my Every Kid in a Park pass in hand. Since then, I visited countless national parks, including Yellowstone, Dry Tortugas, and Arches.

National parks are more than just beautiful landscapes and scenic views, they're a way to connect with nature, learn about history, and experience adventure. As a sixth grader my love for the outdoors drove me to join Scouts BSA. I quickly found that the feeling of connection to nature in a world that I felt when exploring national parks was similar to the way I felt exploring with my friends in Scouting.

In eighth grade when it came time to pick an Eagle Scout project, I knew that I wanted to have a large impact on the community that had given so much to me. Because of my prior experiences, I decided to work with the National Park Service, National Capital Parks-East to adopt and revitalize the local trail. Walking around the weekend of my project watching the eight-year-olds painting blazes on trees and our older volunteers sinking signposts, I felt connected to each and every Eagle Scout that came before me.

As I look to the future I'm excited about all the national parks yet to visit, and hope to inspire the young people who come after me to look for opportunities to do something with there scouting experience that benefits national parks. Thank you.

Duration:

1 minute, 21 seconds

Sophie Schell - Volunteer Scout

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Hi. My name is William Kai. I received my Scout Ranger Award from Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park located in Georgia. When I was a Cub Scout, I participated in eight Junior Ranger programs in two camps to achieve my award. I earned my first Junior Ranger badge from Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park. I like learning about our country's history by visiting the park's museum, seeing where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. lived, and doing the activities and the Junior Ranger program.

After visiting, I decided to participate in more Junior Ranger programs and camps to learn more about our country's history and nature. It was a lot of fun to interact with what I was knowing about that park. I think other Cub Scouts and Scouts should do it too because you can learn and see really interesting things.

You can learn about the history of our country's Indigenous people and our national history. You can see amazing things in nature that you won't see anywhere else, the Old Faithful geyser, or the sequoias, and the animals that live there. It's important to be part of national parks because they preserve our history, natural environment, and our animals. Scout Ranger Award is a very fun way for Scouts to be a part of national parks.

Duration:

1 minute, 15 seconds

William Kai - Scout Ranger

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My name is Hannah Marquez, and I'm Cabrillo National Monument's community volunteer ambassador as part of a partnership program with AmeriCorps. Every day, I get to work directly with volunteers, recruiting them, training them, and setting up new opportunities for them. By helping volunteers, I get to do a little bit of everything here at the park, from the scientific to historical, educational more. I'm never bored, especially when I can ask volunteers about their experience here. They have a lot of stories to share.

If you are interested in working with the NPS in the future, look up what internships or work programs are available near you or further away if they offer housing. My CVA program has even offered me a college scholarship so that I can have a brighter future.

Duration:

48.048 seconds

Hannah Marquez - Community Volunteer Ambassador

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Hello. My name is Art. I'm a volunteer with First State National Historical Park.

As a volunteer, my duties consists of being a trail truther. A trail truther, they collect data on visitors who walk the trails and use one of seven counters located within the park. I'm also a trail steward, some part of a team that helps maintain the trails to make them walkable for our visitors. Also, last but not least, I work at the welcome center, at the info desk. I greet visitors when they come in, tell them about our park, and help them with any information they may need.

I also love interacting with people and tell them about all that our park has to offer. My personal connection to First State National Historical Park is that I was born and raised in Delaware, and as an advocate for nature, I like the fact that we have a national park so close to home. I think the best way for visitors to connect to the park is to come visit all the sites, take it all in, and see what lies with you the most. If you're passionate about nature and environment, don't hesitate to go on to volunteer.gov, create a profile, and look for volunteer opportunities with us. That's how I became a volunteer, and I've been a part of some great moments and experienced amazing things during my time here thus far.

The cool fact about myself is that I've been a part of many tree-planting events over the years as a certified tree steward and volunteer. Trees are my favorite aspect of nature, so I'm always looking for ways to help preserve them and plant more for the Earth. In closing, NPS provide the opportunity for me to be a part of something amazing. Look forward to more events opportunities as they come. Thank you.

Duration:

1 minute, 26 seconds

Art Walker - Volunteer

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Hi, my name is Clarice, and I work in Yosemite National Park. I am the housing management assistant, which means that I help to manage over 300 housing units here in the park. While my job doesn't personally protect the resource of the wildlife, culture, history, or stories of Yosemite, I do help to house the people that do protect the resources here.

My pathway to Yosemite was through public service. After college, I joined AmeriCorps and was an AmeriCorps member at a high school doing a mentoring program. I also joined the Peace Corps, and lived in Namibia for two years as a science teacher. And way back when I first was in elementary, middle school, and high school, I was a Girl Scout. And actually I'm a lifetime member, and I achieved my bronze, silver and gold awards.

So public service was the way that I ended up here in Yosemite.

Duration:

57.758 seconds

Clarice Henry - Housing Management Assistant

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Hello. My name is Cesar. I'm a Historian for Interior [INAUDIBLE]. And I'm at beautiful Boca Chita in Biscayne National Park. I'm responsible for overseeing historical research projects, reviewing draft, completing determinations of eligibility, and serving as a subject matter expert. Among the great things about my work are the ability to work with a diverse and talented team, and the satisfaction of knowing I get to contribute to the understanding of great sites such as these.

I joined NPS in 2019 after working in the defense sector. It was as simple as applying for USAJOBS. My advice would be to be persistent, and not limit the location of researchers. It took several applications before I was recruited. And if I had limited the locations of my searches, or given up, I would have missed out on a great opportunity.

And please make sure to visit any park unit near your home or anywhere you may be visiting. As these are among the best experiences you could ask for. And yes, I do keep my own passport.

Duration:

54.821 seconds

Cesar Vasquez - Historian

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Hi, my name is Emma, and I am a scientist-in-parks intern at the Sonoran Desert Inventory and Monitoring Network in Tucson, Arizona. I work as an ecology assistant, which means that I help collect data in the field, which ranges from anywhere from wildlife cameras and invasive bullfrog management to bat surveys and springs monitoring.

I love what I do because it combines my two passions and lets me do them together. I can do science while also being outside at the same time. I have always had a deep appreciation for the national parks because I grew up with Shenandoah National Park in my backyard. I fell in love with nature, but I was really only used to seeing the kind of ecosystems that we have in Virginia.

When I started visiting other national parks, I got to see firsthand just how many diverse ecosystems we have in the United States. I had never seen the rugged peaks of Rocky Mountain National Park, the geysers of Yellowstone, the harsh deserts of Death Valley, or the coral reefs of Dry Tortugas until I started visiting national parks and they took me there. Now I get to gaze up at giant saguaros every day from the Sonoran Desert.

While documentaries and photos are a great way to get a taste of what National Park Service sites have to offer, there is no substitute for being physically there and experiencing the awe-inspiring natural world firsthand. So if you want to connect with national parks like I have, you need to get outside.

Duration:

1 minute, 30 seconds

Emma Lankford - Scientists in Parks Intern

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Hi, everyone. My name is Tawnya, and I'm an interpretive ranger at Colonial National Historical Park in Virginia. Here at Colonial, we preserve the sites and stories of Jamestown Island and Yorktown battlefield.

So as an interpretive ranger, it's my job to share the stories of the park. I do this through ranger-guided programs, creating signage for the site, and also just through our everyday conversations with our visitors.

One of my favorite things that I absolutely enjoy about working here is that I get to interact with people every day. I love answering our visitor's questions, learning more about them, and just helping them explore what they're curious about here at the site.

So I did not grow up going to national parks. It wasn't until later in life that I learned more about them, and one of the most memorable moments is when my mom and I went on a trip to Colorado. We went to a bunch of different national parks, and I ended up going to Mesa Verde and striking up a conversation with one of the rangers there.

He was extremely friendly, and when I asked him more about how he got his job, he was more than helpful to provide some insight. I ended up learning a lot from him, and I believe it was that interaction that really helped me start my career within the National Park Service.

So my advice for anyone who's interested in joining the parks is to ask questions. Find the people who are doing what you want to do and see how they're doing it. And most importantly, follow your interest because it will lead you exactly where you want to be.

Duration:

1 minute, 22 seconds

Tawnya Waggle - Interpretive Park Ranger

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