Alexis Proudman: Week 8 Recap

Throughout these eight weeks here at Martell, I’ve gained knowledge about everything natural resources, including stuff I didn’t even know existed. It was an amazing experience working with all of the grad student mentors and my peers who collectively taught me that everyone possesses a unique set of skills.

There are a lot of things about this internship that I will miss, including the weekend trips to the beach, King’s Island, and Shedd Aquarium. I will treasure the memories I made there. I will also miss spending work days out in Martell Forest and Purdue Wildlife Area. Being someone who never got to explore the woods as a child, I was finally able to experience all that nature has to offer. I also learned that there are turkeys in Indiana. Who knew?

The challenges I faced during this internship have shown me that I’m much more capable than I thought I was, both physically and mentally. Despite these challenges, I was able to conduct research successfully, which I’m hoping to continue even after this internship ends!

To future REEU interns: Things will get very tough, but you will figure out how to make things work in the end! We all did. Just keep on doing your thing.