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Alumni and Advancement
Internship Stories: Sofia Olin
Sofia Olin
Major: Environmental Science (Earth Science concentration)
Grad Year: 2026
Hometown: Thousand Oaks, CA
In the summer of 2025, I served as an Education Intern for Columbia Springs, a non-profit outdoor education center in Vancouver, WA. I would take field-trip students around the property to learn about nature, and led activities on decomposition, aquatic macroinvertebrates, river erosion, the salmon lifecycle, and plenty more. During the latter half of the internship, my job roles switched slightly as Columbia Springs transformed into a summer camp, and I worked with children aged 5 to 11 on nature education and outdoor fun.
Being an environmental science major meant I had taken classes on climatology, geomorphology, and freshwater ecology, which all helped to prepare me for this position. Specifically, the knowledge I gained from freshwater ecology directly translated into the lessons I gave on aquatic macroinvertebrates.
Some of my favorite moments were the salmon releases, when students would bring the salmon they had been raising since January. I would help them scoop the salmon into little cups and show them how to release the fish gently into the stream. It was so cute seeing the kids name their fish and wave goodbye to them!
I do believe this internship will be useful for my future career as it helped to strengthen my knowledge of Pacific Northwest ecology, as well as form strong connections with environmental professionals.
What advice would I give to UP students? Literally do everything. Don’t just stay on campus. Go out and explore Oregon. There is so much to see and do.
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