|
NPS
Contact: Fentrice Davis, (252) 441-7430 The National Park Service (NPS) Outer Banks Group is working to provide college students an opportunity to learn about the NPS and gain valuable work experience. This summer, Elizabeth City State University student D’Londa Lanier is doing just that at Wright Brothers National Memorial. The Outer Banks Group Interpretive Division received special funding this fiscal year from the agency’s Youth Partnership Program (YPP) for a paid summer student position. YPP works to provide quality opportunities to youth from urban and diverse communities with a goal to increase national youth awareness about stewardship of public lands and the range of conservation careers available within the NPS. Elizabeth City State University, a Historically Black College, is a prime source of potential college student candidates to participate in Outer Banks Group YPP projects. “As the NPS prepares to celebrate its Centennial anniversary, programs like this are increasingly central to the agency’s efforts to develop a new generation of park stewards among a population that is increasingly urban and ethnically diverse,” stated Outer Banks Group Superintendent Mike Murray. This summer, Ms. Lanier has been working with staff from the park’s Interpretive and Education Division in providing programs to the public about the Wright brothers and flight, and orienting visitors to the park. She is receiving specialized training on interpretive techniques to help her best connect visitors to the park’s resources and stories. Park staff also plans to give her experiences with the Group’s Resources Management Division at Cape Hatteras National Seashore. “I am having fun interacting with visitors and telling the Wright brothers’ story,” stated Ms. Lanier. “Before my work here, I had never even been in a national park. Working with the NPS has been a new and exciting experience for me; and I’m learning a lot!” |
Last updated: April 14, 2015