When Dylan Mitchell applied for the Environmental Nature Center’s Horticulture Internship, he was standing at a crossroads. A recent college graduate who had just returned home to Orange County, Dylan knew he loved plants. He had grown up in a family of dedicated gardeners who instilled in him a deep respect for the natural world, and wherever life had taken him — from college dorm rooms to apartment alleyways — he found ways to create gardens. But passion and profession are not always the same thing. “I’ve made some realizations about the position I’d like to take in the world,” Dylan wrote in his application. He hoped the internship would help him determine whether horticulture could become more than a hobby and serve as a…
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Growing Knowledge Rooted in Place: A Horticulture Intern’s Experience at the ENC
When Alexis Hernandez applied for the Environmental Nature Center’s Horticulture Internship, she already knew she loved plants. “The Horticulture Intern role aligns with what I’m most passionate about…plants!” she wrote in her application. “I have always had a deep connection with nature and plant behavior.” She hoped the internship would deepen her understanding of native plants while allowing her to “help maintain the land and ensure native species have the chance to not only grow but thrive.” A botany and plant pathology student already volunteering with OC Parks and the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center, Alexis arrived at the ENC with curiosity, enthusiasm, and a strong desire to learn. Over the course of her internship, that curiosity evolved into something deeper: a growing ecological understanding…
Cultivating the Next Generation of Native Plant Stewards
Learning by Doing at the Environmental Nature Center At the Environmental Nature Center (ENC), our horticulture internship program is designed to do more than teach plant care — it immerses emerging professionals in the living systems that shape healthy landscapes, resilient ecosystems, and meaningful community spaces. Recent Horticulture Intern Victoria Stover exemplifies what this program is all about. During her time at ENC, Victoria worked closely with our horticulture team, gaining hands-on experience across a wide range of responsibilities, from plant maintenance and identification to propagation, irrigation, trail upkeep, and habitat restoration. Each day offered a front-row seat to the complex, interconnected work required to steward California’s native plant communities — both in cultivated gardens and natural landscapes. “The intern experience at ENC provided a…
Meet our new Intern, Jake!
When I first walked through the gates of the Environmental Nature Center I was greeted with a breeze of fresh ocean air, the sound of birds chirping, and the laughter of children exploring the Nature Center and making memories. I was immediately taken back to my youth, hiking through the Sierra Nevada mountains with my father and getting my first taste of the world outside of the busy city. But the Environmental Nature Center is different, nestled in the heart of Newport Beach next to Newport Harbor High School it serves as an oasis for the young and old alike. It is an escape from the hustle and bustle of the hectic world outside. The trees, ponds, and streams are great places for children to…
What is was like as an ENC Green Event Planning and Outreach Intern!
Interning for the ENC taught me a lot of things – from planning events to what it is like to work for a nonprofit organization. Being the event planning assistant, I got hands-on experience helping with large events such as the Artisan Marketplace in addition to smaller events such as a wedding brunch and our Condors and Cocktails fundraising event. Here, I helped not only with set up and take down but also with checking in vendors and guests and helping the events run smoothly. Being the outreach assistant, I helped with events such as Teacher’s Night Out and Hummingbird Parenting. In addition to this, I was able to attend an event on my own to do outreach for the ENC which allowed me to…
Welcome ENC Fall Interns!
Makena Dandley (center) is our new Events and Community Outreach intern. Makena will be helping us with facility rentals (eg. weddings), special events (eg. Artisans Marketplace), monthly events (Teacher’s Night Out), and outreach events (booth set-ups). We’re so happy to have someone with her background and enthusiasm on our team! Makena is a recent graduate from the University of Oregon with a B.S. in Environmental Studies. She is originally from Brea, California and currently lives in Placentia, California. Makena’s dream job would be to work for an environmental consulting company that specializes in green event planning. She is very excited to start at the Environmental Nature Center and learn more about green events and community outreach. Matthew (right) is one of the new Animal Care…
Teachers Night Out back with a bang this Fall!
Looking across our fire-pit to a sea of eager teachers, I feel humbled that they’ve chosen to spend their free time here at the ENC and excited to learn from each and every one of them. On September 27th, about 25 educators from all over Orange County gathered at the ENC for our first Teacher’s Night Out of the year, and the ambiance was electric with inspiring ideas. We find that school teachers are usually excited and buzzing with energy in the fall and understandably worn out by the school year’s end. We understand – being a classroom teacher is hard work and can be very mentally, physically, and emotionally taxing. This is why we LOVE serving as a resource for those hard-working teachers! We…
Meet Melissa our Science Explorer Camp Intern!
by Melissa Pepper, ENC Communications Intern Hi, I’m Melissa Pepper, a soon to be graduate from Chico State where I have been studying Communications and Public Affairs, Public Relations, and Fine Art Photography with an emphasis on dark room. I was raised in Huntington Beach, CA and have spent most of my life either in the water or on the water, hiking, taking pictures and of course, studying or writing. My journey with the Newport Back Bay began in junior high when I joined the swimming team at the YMCA overlooking the beautiful trails. My junior year of high school, I joined the rowing team at the Newport Aquatic Center and was able to enjoy the water every day. My first years of college were…
The 2018-19 Teachers Night Out Schedule is HERE!
by Amelia Kimberlin, ENC Communications Intern Interested in learning new ways to inject your curriculum with some fun and fresh nature-themed activities? Look no further, because the ENC’s Teachers Night Out is coming up! Kindergarten through twelfth grade teachers are invited to participate in mini-workshops throughout the Nature Center and learn hands-on activities to teach Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) concepts in their own classrooms. The Teachers’ Night Out 2018/19 series will be held one Thursday per month for the entirety of the 2018/19 school year. The primary focus of Teachers’ Night Out is to provide educators of any kind with resources and ideas to implement in their curricula, in an effort to show their students the wonders of nature and the myriad benefits of…
EVENTually, all good internships come to an end.
By: Connie Loo, Event Planning Intern I have been volunteering at the Environmental Nature Center for the past ten weeks as an event planning intern. The Environmental Nature Center is a great place for children to learn about nature through hands-on experience in five acres of nature trails. I would definitely recommend the ENC as a great place for families to go to enjoy nature, to look through animal exhibits, and to even host events. From their nature camps to their toy swaps, all that the ENC does demonstrates how much their staff cares about sustainability and people. My favorite day so far at the ENC has been their groundbreaking day for their Nature Preschool. I clearly saw how much effort the staff put into…
Introducing Jorge our new Intern!
Today marks my first day as a Communications Intern here at Environmental Nature Center. I am currently a student at California State University, Fullerton, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis in advertising. While researching internships I found many places that offered great opportunities in my field, but fell short of the educational aspect. When I was contacted by the ENC I was extremely excited, as they offer many great opportunities for our next generation. The ENC provides hands-on opportunities to learn about nature. Working with youth in my past inspired me to find a place where I could help minds grow, and learn how to introduce environmental education in a fun way to younger generations. Advertising being my emphasis, I have taken multiple…
Farewell, For Now
by Chelsea Moreno, ENC Communications Intern As a public relations student with such a niche career path in science communication, finding internships I could truly be passionate about proved difficult for me. I began my search a year early, seeing if any listings caught my attention and I stumbled upon the Environmental Nature Center’s Outreach Intern listing. It wasn’t the type of internship I was hoping for, but the organization’s mission intrigued me. I visited ENCenter.org and to my delight, they also offered communications internships. At that moment, I knew this was exactly where I wanted to intern. Communications, nature, and informal science education? It was perfect for me and I was thrilled. At the time, I was enrolled in a Principle of Public Relations…