Greetings!  My name is Amanda Kaspar.  I just began my sophomore year at Friends School of  Baltimore. 

Earlier this year, I asked my biology teacher, Mrs. Katherine Jenkins, if she could suggest a place for an internship based on my interests.  Considering I am part of The Green Club she directs, she suggested I reach out to Nina Beth Cardin, who then, recommended NeighborSpace since I love environmental topics.  Then, after a few meetings with Barbara Hopkins and Patrick Filbert (Friends School ‘12), my dream of a meaningful internship came true!  At first, I was nervous.  What if I don’t understand my assignments?  Will the staff think I am an adult with years of work experience?  What if I make mistakes?

I quickly learned that there is no reason to worry; afterall, my intentions are sincere.  I learned that I can be part of meaningful projects.  I do have what it takes to make a difference to the environment and my community.  I attribute this to the work ethic and positive energy of those I worked with, as well as the overall atmosphere at NeighborSpace.  The difference is: it is fun when you find others who share a similar passion.  I felt like the internship struck a good balance between hands-on activities and practical research. My mentor, Patrick Filbert, gave me an endless amount of chances to be a part of topics that I was passionate about.  That is, I knew I had a passion for nature and helping out my own community, but I did not know how to apply myself, until now.

This internship provided me with a foundation. I learned about a wide range of assignments. My tasks ranged from identifying trees in Adelaide Bentley Park, to creating website pages displaying our community, to having meetings with Alison Vogrin (Director of RSVP) to present new ideas. To put it simply, there was always an area within the program that peaked my interest.

One day, while capturing photos of Adelaide Bentley Park to post on our website, I felt such a sense of community even though I was the only one there.  I began to realize the hard work of everyone who puts forth effort in that park. Another task was to take pictures of donated trees in the park and update each donor on the progress of their trees.  Doing that task and seeing each name on the tree tag helped me to see the individual names of members in our communities. It also showed me the great outcomes of when people work together.

However, the biggest thing I have taken away from this experience is that the key to success is finding balance between optimism and realism. Prior to this internship, I relied on certainty and step-by-step plans. Now, I am able to dive into that sense of uncertainty and use it to my advantage. I learned and saw first hand how uncertainty is present with the business aspect of this organization. I gained the knowledge to weigh the worth of precarious new projects and understand how to analyze. Along with those factors I learned to gage the interest of potential funders.  Although this was a little intimidating, it was worth it.  Many projects were successfully completed.

In conclusion, thanks to this internship, I have more knowledge about the environment.  And, along the way, I developed some heartwarming memories.

Article by Amanda Kaspar, Intern