Last October, Napa RCD proudly welcomed three Fall 2025 Teen Conservation Interns to the team.
Throughout their internship, these extremely passionate students built valuable career skills while leading meaningful environmental projects close to home. They played an active role in coordinating conservation efforts to support watershed and forest health, and gained hands-on experience both in the office and out in the field, working alongside and learning from Napa RCD staff. Their curiosity, commitment, and enthusiasm made a lasting impact on our work and on the communities we serve.
As we prepare to say goodbye, we want to extend our sincere thanks to these interns for the energy, care, and fresh perspectives they brought to Napa RCD. We’re grateful for the time they spent with us and excited to see where their conservation journeys lead next. Below, they share reflections on their experiences and what it meant to make a positive environmental difference in their own backyard.
“The photo above represents my experience as an intern because it represents bringing people together to help make a difference for our environment and create community.” – Jasmine, 2025-26 TCI Intern
Click through the sections below to learn more about each Fall 2025 Teen Conservation Intern and the lessons they’ll carry forward from their time with us.
Enrique's Reflections
“My favorite part of the internship would have to be being able to bond with many volunteers who showed up to our events.”
“Something that I learned about myself during this internship was realizing that I’m a person who values connections and friendships. Along the way, being able to talk to volunteers and laughing with them while also making an impact in my community made me feel like a good person, and most importantly making other people feel good about the things that they are doing.”
“Something I learned working with volunteers is that they are there to make a difference. Learning someone’s purpose, even if it’s for a day can change the environment of a place and it allowed me to learn about a bunch of people, even if it was for a day and showed that they truly care about making an impact.”
“A message I would like to share to the volunteers who worked with me was that it was a genuine pleasure meeting you all, the little convo we had made always made my day as that is why I joined this. To make a connection with people and I thank you all. A message for a more positive environment in the future would be to know your actions do have consequences. Always pick up little trash on the sidewalk, help someone with something and to always look out for our community.”
Travis' Reflections
“My favorite part of the internship was the experience and bonding. Being able to connect with others over something as important as conservation was always impactful and made me feel a great sense of accomplishment. Whether working with other staff or volunteers, there was always a feeling of teamwork and determination to help however we could, whatever the situation was.”
“Something I learned about Napa County’s volunteers is that they are hardworking, determined people willing to go the extra mile in order to accomplish something good. In every event I was met with people with strong mindsets that knew what they were there to do and did it to the best of their abilities.”
Jasmine's Reflections
“My favorite part of the internship was meeting people who share the same values I do and learning from them.”
“Something I learned about myself during the internship is that I really love ecology!”
We’d like to extend a warm THANK YOU to our project funders for making this work possible:
