National Volunteer Appreciation Week is about inspiring, recognizing and encouraging people to seek out imaginative ways to engage in their communities. It’s about demonstrating to the nation that by working together, we have the fortitude to meet our challenges and accomplish our goals. Here at New England Aquarium we will be spending the week of April 23rd to April 29th 2017 recognizing and appreciating our active “volunterns”. We’ll also be engaging new volunteers in the live blue™ Service Corps through a large scale day of service at four different locations throughout Boston on Saturday April 29th 2017.
Here’s what one of our volunterns Laura Anderson, wrote about her experiences serving within the New England Aquarium Community:
“Happy National Volunteer Week!
My name is Laura Anderson, I’m a student at Roger Williams University and I am currently completing my third internship with the New England Aquarium! Over the past few years, I have also been a science communications intern as well as an intern with the Aquarium’s wet lab and Edge of the Sea tide pool touch tank exhibit. Right now I am an intern with the Giant Ocean Tank department, where I help maintain and care for the 200,000 gallon Giant Ocean Tank and all of its inhabitants (including the famous Myrtle)!
My internship this semester is two-fold. Not only am I gaining experience, but I am also gaining college credit. That means that three days a week, the GOT is my classroom! While at NEAq, my day starts early since I commute from my campus in Bristol, Rhode Island. Once I get there, the first thing I do is help complete food prep for the day. Right now, that averages about 37 pounds of food just for the GOT! I always enjoy food prep because I get to talk to the other volunteers and hear about their weeks. Since many of them volunteer one day a week, we have a lot to catch up on. But this also means I get to work with a different fun group every day I’m at NEAq. No two days are the same!
Following that, the day is pretty scheduled. With five dives a day, I’m usually in the water three times and helping out on the platforms once or twice. During this time, I’ll get to feed the fish on top of the water as well as underwater, feed Myrtle (and give her some shell scratches), and help clean the tank inside and out. I love being on platforms and being under water because it allows me to interact with visitors, whether it’s through the glass or face to face. Seeing their excited expressions when they first see Myrtle makes my day! And I always like playing some underwater rock-paper-scissors.
Once all the dives are done for the day, it’s cleanup time. We need to make sure the food prep area is organized, clean, and ready for the next day where we do it all over again. For me, the end of the day means making my way back to campus to complete homework assignments (as well as recently finishing my thesis) and visiting with my friends, including some former NEAq interns.
While I have loved every moment of all of my internships, the end of my third internship will be especially bittersweet because I graduate one week later. For me, this means I’ll be moving out-of-state for a job for the next six months. I know my internships here at NEAq have given me extensive experience that come in handy when job hunting. And the Volunteer and Internships department have been such a help, especially with their intern lunches where they tell us more about how to best craft our resumes and tips and tricks for even the toughest interviews.
With almost 800 volunteer hours under my belt, and almost as many fun memories and experiences, I wouldn’t trade my time here for anything. If you’re considering applying to volunteer or applying for an internship, do it! While gaining experience, I’m sure you’ll also gain what I have: a community of like-minded people all aiming to protect the blue planet, and while you’re at it, you’ll gain friendships as well.
Stay fishy!
Laura”
If Laura’s story has inspired you to serve and you’d like to volunteer with us at the New England Aquarium please visit http://serve.neaq.org/ for more details.
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