Name: Renata Szymanski

Year: Senior

Major: Environmental Science (Policy Track

Minor: Legal Studies, Spanish

CFS Class: Field Studies in Environment, Science, and Sustainability

Employer: Shedd Aquarium

As background, I am currently enrolled in the CFS-387 Environment, Science & Sustainability course, and my internship is as a research and evaluation intern at the Shedd Aquarium. In general, I see the CFS program as highly useful in helping students learn more about the workplace and different kinds of jobs in order to better determine what future career they’d like to pursue, which is why, as a graduating senior with my post-grad time quickly approaching, I chose to enroll. My position at the Shedd is within the marketing department, so it entails dealing with patron involvement and feedback on the aquarium. I mainly administer patron surveys and help to research and refine the Shedd’s learning lab programs, which are hands-on field trips and dissections meant to educate grade-school students on biodiversity, conservation, and sustainability. Apart from the work itself, the work environment at the Shedd is great. It is relatively corporate but still laid-back and fun–after all, we do work in an aquarium, and are encouraged to take breaks to view exhibits and dolphin shows. Due to the high turnover of volunteers and temporary employees, everyone that I work with is extremely approachable and willing to help with any questions I might have. As for the CFS course itself, I have found primarily that it is very important to manage my time with readings and discussion posts. The readings can be lengthy at times, but are extremely relevant to my interests and career plans, and help to introduce a wide variety of schools of thought on conservationism and sustainability with which I may not otherwise have come in contact. The in-class discussions tend to be challenging yet insightful, often causing me to question and overturn misconceptions or stereotypes I have blindly assumed in the realm of environmental science. Overall, I’m happy to have chosen to participate in CFS, as I believe it will give me valuable knowledge and experience to put towards my future. It has been rewarding for the most part, with the only downside being time-intensive readings and the long commute (in the Chicago winter!).