Master of Environmental Management students Sashoy Milton and Reema Garabadu worked at Earthjustice this summer. Milton served as Summer Science Intern in Toxic Exposure and Health while Garabadu was a Stanback Sustainable Food and Farming Science Fellow.

Each summer, Nicholas School of the Environment students complete internships with organizations around the world. These internships provide valuable opportunities to gain career-related experience and build a professional network. 

Duke Environment recently caught up with Milton and Garabadu to learn more about their experiences.

WHAT ARE YOU DOING AT YOUR INTERNSHIP AND HOW ARE YOU USING THE SKILLS YOU'VE LEARNED AT THE NICHOLAS SCHOOL?

Milton: "I am a toxic exposure and health science intern supporting the work of the Toxic Exposure and Health team based out of New York. My primary role is to synthesize scientific evidence by conducting literature reviews and database searches to support my team’s effort to use the law to challenge and advocate for health-protective regulations of chemicals. I also do some scientific writing for internal and external documents that my team has compiled to support our work. I use the skills that I have been taught in Human Health & Ecological Risk Assessment, Environmental Exposure Analysis, Environmental Epidemiology, and Environmental Toxicology in my day-to-day activities."

Garabadu: "I am at Earthjustice’s Sustainable Food and Farming team as a science fellow. In this role, I’m combining my interests in agriculture and conservation by demonstrating how concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) pose environmental harm to both endangered and threatened species, as well as to human communities around them. I spend my days making maps, composing literature reviews, and communicating scientific information. Courses from my first year such as GIS and Community-Based Environmental Management help my day-to-day here at Earthjustice."

HOW DID THE NICHOLAS SCHOOL HELP YOU DURING YOUR INTERNSHIP SEARCH? 

Milton: "I learned about this internship opportunity in fall 2021 at a program area seminar. I also attended one of the Stanback internship seminars held in spring 2022 to hear about other opportunities that may fit my interests. The CPDC (Career & Professional Development Center) also held a few workshops on cover letter writing and interview prep that I attended."

Garabadu: "In the fall, I attended a workshop on Stanback internships to learn more about the offerings and process of applying. In January, I applied for this internship using Handshake. CPDC helped me navigate both internships through Stanback, as well as outside internships as I was exploring options during my spring semester."

HOW WILL THIS EXPERIENCE HELP YOU IN YOUR CAREER?

Milton: "Through this experience, I have been able to participate in interactions that exist between the legal and scientific community as it relates to chemical management and policy which has strengthened my ability to communicate scientific information to the public or non-scientific audiences. It has also deepened my interest in the understanding of how science is used to inform decisions in chemical risk evaluation and in the development of tools/information that support that process."

Garabadu: "The legal world is a new realm for me but helped me foster my learning and confidence as a scientist. I’m validated in my interest in pursuing a career in agriculture and conservation and learned how much I value, and enjoy, using GIS. Communicating information through maps has been an artful and digestible way to visualize complex stories and information."

Read more internship Q+A stories