Wow, how time flies when you’re having fun. It has been three weeks since I flew to Philadelphia, two weeks since I first stepped foot on John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum (JHNWR) and one week since I began planning for Latino Conservation week.

I’ll be honest. I was having second thoughts about accepting this internship while in Washington.  A Finance an International Studies Major; surrounded by individuals perusing an Environmental Studies education. I was out of place. I felt unprepared.

It’s been about three weeks now since I started interning at the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge (DRIWR) thanks to the Hispanic Access Foundation’s partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). I feel incredibly lucky to be learning from a group of people that have a strong commitment to the mission of “working with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people.”

The Silvio O. Conte Fish and Wildlife Refuge immediately became my home away from home as soon as I was greeted by the warm smiles of my new U.S. Fish and Wildlife colleagues.  Coming from a small town in the Dominican Republic, it would never have occurred to me growing up that I would be working with a federal agency.