Staff Spotlight: Sarah Sherwood

Sarah’s first season in uniform was spent at Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve, where she provided tours of the cave beginning at this entrance.

NPS Photo Courtesy of Danielle Page

Meet Sarah Sherwood, whose journey has taken her from internships to seasonal jobs, and now a permanent position as an Interpretive Park Ranger at White Sands National Park in New Mexico! Read on to learn more about her career pathway and love for the National Park Service.

What was your pathway to the NPS? Did you participate in an internship program?

Like many young adults, I didn’t know what I wanted to do as a career when I went to college. I double majored in Mathematical Sciences and Psychology and minored in Statistics because the subjects interested me, and I figured that those skills would be useful no matter what field I entered. During my junior year, I started to feel the pressure to make a post-graduate plan. I considered my criteria for my ideal job: I wanted to do something that made a positive impact on my community, not just generate profit. I considered the environments where I feel the most fulfilled and my mind immediately went to my family’s annual camping trips to national parks. For the first time in my life, I realized that the people giving the campfire talks I loved so much growing up are paid to do so.

I started my career research by simply Googling “how to become a park ranger” and discovered that you can qualify for most National Park Service positions either through education or experience. Since my educational background wasn’t enough on its own for interpretation (my new dream job), I realized that I would have to do some internships to bolster the experience section of my resume.

Sarah began her journey as the Conservation Education and Visitor Center Intern at White Horse Hill National Wildlife Refuge in Devils Lake, North Dakota in 2017 (then called “Sullys Hill”).

Photo Courtesy of Patty White

During the summer between my junior and senior years of college, I completed my first season as a Student Conservation Association (SCA) intern at White Horse Hill National Game Preserve in North Dakota (then called “Sullys Hill”), a U.S. Fish and Wildlife site that’s home to bison, elk, and prairie dogs. As the Visitor Center and Conservation intern, I was one of only two onsite employees. I helped run the daily operations at the visitor center, including managing the gift shop, overseeing volunteers, performing maintenance, and orienting visitors. In addition, I got to participate in an incredible local program where the nearby 5th grade classes would spend half of their school day at the preserve, using the natural environment to enhance their core curriculum. For example, their math lessons would include measuring the circumference of trees and their art classes were inspired by local flora and fauna. As I helped lead these lessons, I learned that I too have a deep-seated passion for using the local environment as an educational lens.

After I graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2018, I did a year as an Interpretive Ranger in the New Hampshire Conservation Corps, a joint SCA/AmeriCorps program in New Hampshire’s state parks. Unlike many other internships, this corps is a residential, collaborative program that hosts a cohort of 30 service members every year. We lived in log cabins in the middle of the woods, cooking, working, and recreating as a team. For the first four months of the program, we all provided environmental education lessons to classes in the Manchester public schools. Then, we split into two groups, with two-thirds of the cohort (about 20 members) becoming Conservation Stewards and completing various trail maintenance, construction, and rehabilitation projects throughout the state. The other ten of us were Interpretive Rangers stationed at a dozen state parks, where we provided programs including campfire talks, tabling demonstrations, and guided hikes. Since the New Hampshie Parks and Recreation Department does not employ its own interpreters, we served as the sole educators for the state’s parks that summer.

Next, I spent two terms as the Community Volunteer Ambassador (CVA) at Indiana Dunes National Park – my very first position in the coveted National Park Service! I became interested in the CVA program because it can qualify you for the Public Lands Corps (PLC) hiring authority – basically, an advantage when applying to permanent federal positions. I began my new job in February 2020 and, as you may be able to infer, had a chaotic first term. As the pandemic raged and parks closed, I spent the year doing professional development, creating online volunteer opportunities, and working alongside an NPS interpretation and education division for the first time. I decided to stick around for a second year with the hope that I’d be able to do some more hands-on, boots-on-the-ground work, and sure enough, that’s what 2021 brought. I learned how to organize large-scale volunteer events, onboarded new volunteers, wrote newsletters and social media posts, and even played a role in the grand opening of Pullman National Monument (now Pullman National Historical Park), where I got to meet Secretary Deb Haaland!

In 2022, I finally donned the long-awaited green and gray as a seasonal Cave Guide at Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve, where I gave up to three 1.5-hour tours through the caves each day. Then I secured my first permanent position (aided by the aforementioned PLC hiring authority) as an Administrative Assistant for Nez Perce National Historical Park, Whitman Mission National Historic Site, Big Hole National Battlefield, and Manhattan Project National Historical Park. Working in admin was a major shift and I quickly learned that full-time office life is not for me. Despite missing the outdoor and social aspects of my previous positions, I gained more insight about the National Park Service in that job than I have in all the others combined. Administrators truly touch everything in the parks, from overarching policy down to each pen and pencil that’s purchased. I got to work with the Management team and even served as the executive assistant for a group of Superintendents in the Pacific West Region. By working for four parks at once, I maximized my knowledge intake while solidifying my desire to return to the interpretation world.

What do you do for the NPS?

At White Sands, Sarah works alongside current SCA interns. Together, they get to explore the incredible dune landscape, including this massive sumac pedestal!

NPS Photo Courtesy of Joe Elsen

I am currently living out my dream as a Park Guide at White Sands National Park in Alamogordo, New Mexico. As an interpretive ranger, it’s my job to educate and enhance visitor experience through programs and other communications. My usual day includes a shift on the Visitor Center front desk, welcoming visitors and answering questions; a program such as a guided hike or drop-in table; some time answering visitors’ and students’ emails, phone calls, and letters; and work on other park communications, including the website and social media. All my job duties are centered around connecting people to the park and helping them make meaningful memories during their visit.

Located in the middle of the Chihuahuan Desert, White Sands National Park is known as the only gypsum dunefield of its size (275 square miles) in the entire world. The unique alien landscape is home to over 40 endemic species, many of which have developed a white coloration to camouflage themselves against the glittering sand. Our ancient fossilized footprints, local military and space history, rare geologic conditions, and popularity as a commercial filming location all add to the park’s allure. During the summer, we offer unique opportunities to experience the dunes under the night sky through our Moonlight Hikes and Full Moon Night programs. Throughout the year, we offer nightly Sunset Strolls, where an educational ranger-guided hike culminates in sunset viewing at the top of a dune. Whether you’re looking for introspective solitude or a day of raucous recreation, White Sands has something for everyone!

What do you find most rewarding about your job?

As an interpretive ranger with the New Hampshire Conservation Corps, Sarah provided environmental education in Manchester public schools. Students were encouraged to submit questions to the rangers each week. Questions like this are why she does it!

Photo Courtesy of Sarah Sherwood

The kids! I vividly remember how awe-inspiring it was to talk to a park ranger when I was a kid and I love providing that experience for children now. I get the opportunity to connect with young students across the country who contact the park for help on school projects or just to learn something new. They always have the most interesting questions and perspectives. I hope that by making their national park experience as memorable as possible, they’ll grow up to love conservation, public lands, and nature as much as I do. Through education and inspiration, we can ensure that the next generation is chock full of stewards who will carry on the legacy of the National Park Service.

What does it mean to you to represent your community?

Pride month is every month in the NPS!

NPS Photo Courtesy of Sarah Sherwood

I recognize how lucky I am to come from a science and outdoor-oriented family that prioritizes exploration, adventure, and education. As a woman and a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I know that certain populations remain underrepresented in the National Park Service workforce. To address this, I am active in both the Women’s and the LGBTQ+ Employee Resource Groups, where staff can gather to discuss issues, share resources, and develop programming and external communications to advance these communities both within and without the agency. Most recently, I helped the LGBTQ+ ERG celebrate Pride month by co-creating an internal program on the Lavender Scare with Ranger Lisa Burback from Pullman National Historical Park. By sharing the lesser-known stories of our country’s history and increasing outreach efforts to those underrepresented populations, we can create an agency where every child can find a ranger and a story they can relate to. I represent my various communities by striving every day to ensure that national park sites truly are for EVERYONE!

What advice do you have for youth and young adults thinking about a career at NPS?

Be open to new opportunities! Although interpretation is one of the more recognizable careers in the National Park Service, there is truly a niche for every interest. Try an internship in a different division, move to a state you’ve never considered living in before, say yes to every training, and talk to the visitors and employees you’ve yet to connect with. Keep an open mind and never turn down an opportunity to learn. You never know when and where you’ll find your park or program!

What are your hobbies?

When she’s not in uniform, Sarah likes to stay active. One way she has done that is by playing roller derby under the derby name Tazmaniac! (#17 in the white helmet with the rainbow)

Photo Courtesy of Coyote Country Roller Derby

In true park ranger fashion, I love any and all outdoor activities, especially hiking, skiing (downhill and cross-country), camping, and swimming. I’m an avid reader and love swapping books with friends and family. During the pandemic, I took up cross-stitching and roller derby!

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