Sustainability and the Environment: "Julia's Internship Report"

The primary focus of my internship was to work with Monteverde FM by creating three interesting and compelling podcasts concerning both the environmental challenges and successes in Monteverde. As someone who loves podcasts for their ability to transcend world boundaries and educate, I was very interested in the opportunity to make a difference through this medium, which I’ve always appreciated but never participated in. I had always wanted to do my own podcast, and I couldn’t wait to take advantage of this opportunity! Professionally, I knew this experience would allow me to experiment with a new way to reach people, via the radio. I don’t know quite yet what I want to be when I grow up, but I know it relates to making a difference and with this in mind, I am always thinking about creative ways to positively impact the world. I think educating the wider community on environmental issues, and spreading awareness through the podcast medium is a great idea, so I was very excited to give it a try.

I have gained an unbelievable amount of knowledge and experience from this internship. Initially, we (my partner Hannah and I) did many different interviews, which involved direct socialization and confrontation with many strangers. As an introvert this was initially very daunting, but in the end I would say that my interpersonal skills have definitely been enhanced. Interacting with many different people and hearing their perspectives also helped strengthen my understanding on how people who are not entirely engaged in environmental thinking perceived Monteverde, ecotourism, and sustainability. This was incredibly helpful for me, because I am very interested in environmental psychology and how education can impact thinking about the world. Speaking with a variety of people from tourists to experts in certain fields to students provided a wide range of ideas and opinions which greatly aided this type of understanding. I think learning how to write, edit, and produce an interesting podcast was also very valuable. It required a lot of work and intensive collaboration, but in the end I think we developed well-thought out and dynamic pieces addressing relevant issues in the area and abroad. By providing unique insight into the microcosm that is Monteverde, we were able to effectively cover themes that could be seen as universal, in order to reach a wider audience.

I think I contributed a great deal to this internship. I was very engaged throughout the entire process composed of interviewing, narrating, and editing. I was able to really embrace this opportunity through hands-on learning and do it all, so that we could create a really special product. I think the greatest accomplishment I’ve achieved is the creation of an educational and uniquely focused podcast. Before this internship, I only appreciated this type of medium as a form of entertainment, but I had never thought it even possible for me to make my own. Now I know I can, and I look forward to not only seeing how I can utilize podcasts for own my personal interests (such as food policy and investigative journalism), but also listening to more, because I now have a broad understanding of what it really takes to produce an informative and ear-catching piece of journalism.