Internships at Loggerhead Marinelife Center – More than Coffee Runs

It’s no secret college students need experience to help them snag that dream job after graduation. Loggerhead Marinelife Center offers students real-world experience through a variety of internships. Whether you’re a biology student focused on conservation or a public relations major with a gift for storytelling, LMC’s internships offer something for everyone, including the new Conservation Department Internship, which currently accepts college level interns to assist with the center’s conservation initiatives and duties.

Students interested in this new program will aid in various projects such as conducting and coordinating fishing workshops, maintaining relationships with conservation partners, collecting and recording data for conservation projects and more. Interns will also complete a final project based on his or her career objectives.

“The conservation internship at LMC provides a practical approach to the marine conservation field,” said Tommy Cutt, Chief Conservation Officer. “The program allows interns to gain first-hand experience coordinating community conservation initiatives while working with a variety of groups in areas of critical sea turtle habitat. Interns will also have the opportunity to work with our team to address real issues and develop solutions that impact sea turtles both locally and around the globe.”

Of course, if conservation work isn’t your cup of tea, there’s always the Communications/Marketing Internship. It’s perfect for students studying marketing, public relations, communications, development or non-profits.

Interns will learn all aspects of the communications efforts in a non-profit environment by working directly with Communications/Marketing staff. Responsibilities include producing content for print, web and social media, various administrative functions important to daily operations and other communications efforts.

For Amanda Moore, an internship at LMC allowed her to pursue a career in communications at various organizations before returning to LMC as the Marketing and Communications Coordinator.

“I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to intern twice in the department,” said Moore. “The first time I split my internship between Marketing and Development, which gave me insight into how the two departments rely on one another. Interning with LMC taught me how to think on my feet, pursue creative marketing channels and gave me the experience I needed to land a few other internships and jobs.”

For the student pursuing a degree in biological sciences, education or a related field, the Education Department at LMC offers two internships – the Marine Education Internship and the Turtle Walk Internship.

Students interested in the Marine Education Internship will work under the Education Department assisting in educational aspects of the center including educational outreaches for Palm Beach County students K-12. They’ll also present LMC programming to students and adults of all ages, develop curriculum based on up-to-date Florida educational standards and more. Interns will also complete an individual final project based on his or her career objectives.

For education students interested in public programming, the Turtle Walk Internship allows students to assist with Turtle Walks, a unique program for visitors to learn about and observe loggerhead sea turtles’ nesting and egg laying processes. The intern will assist volunteers and staff with daily Turtle Walk and Hatchling Release programs such as presenting educational programming, assisting with volunteer training, scouting for nesting loggerheads and more.

Step into a researcher’s shoes through our Sea Turtle Nesting Season Internship, a hands-on opportunity for biology students to hone skills in the field. Interns will assist with the North County Palm Beach County Sea Turtle Monitoring project along one of the highest density nesting beaches in the United States. The survey area annually hosts over 20,000 sea turtle crawls, and interns will gain experience conducting nesting surveys for leatherback, loggerhead and green sea turtles.

Additionally, interns will learn how to locate a sea turtle egg chamber, mark nests and conduct excavations, collect data in the field using leading edge technology and more.

For students with dreams of working as a veterinarian or rehabilitation technician, the Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Internship provides the perfect opportunity. It’s open to undergraduates or recent graduates with a focused interest in animal care or veterinary medical care. Interns will learn all aspects of sea turtle rehabilitation through hands-on experiences, including aiding with marine turtle strandings and rehabilitation, maintaining cleanliness in the hospital, patient tanks, exhibits and more. The intern will also complete an intern project to present to staff and volunteers.

Katie Hellman is LMC’s current rehabilitation intern. A senior studying marine biology at Palm Beach Atlantic University, Hellman says she searched online for a hands-on internship opportunity in South Florida. After learning about LMC’s internship, she jumped at the chance to apply.

“There’s so much to learn here,” said Hellman. “The staff is so knowledgeable and it’s given me hands-on experience that I wouldn’t have in a classroom. It offers such a great opportunity for learning.”

Upon graduation, Hellman hopes to work in animal rehabilitation.

“I’ve always wanted to help people or animals, and this internship has given me the skills and ability to do so,” she said. “Not everyone gets to see the results of their work, but I get to help sea turtles and watch them recover before they return to the ocean. It’s so rewarding.”

So, your next duty as a prospective LMC intern? Decide which internship you want to pursue and apply now!*

*To view internship qualifications, deadlines and application requirements, click here.