My name is Jollane Eccleston.Ê I was born on the beautiful island of Jamaica and raised
in Trenton, NJ.Ê I attend the illustrious Spelman College, majoring in early childhood
education, located in Atlanta, GA.Ê This summer, I was the visitorÕs service intern
at the Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge located in Sudbury, Massachusetts.
My orientation experience helped me in so many ways.Ê In the beginning, I was very
nervous, not knowing what to expect.Ê However, orientation allowed me to become more comfortable
in my new surroundings and I was able to understand and respect the importance of the US Fish
and Wildlife Service and the work that they do.
Being out of my comfort zone, away from friends and family was not as bad as I thought it
would be because through the US Fish and Wildlife, I gained new friends and new relationships
with people who have
helped me along my summer journey.
My experience at the Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge was pretty awesome.Ê Thanks
to the proper guidance, I was open to doing anything on the refuge.Ê Whether it be greeting
visitors and answering their questions, working with bio pulling invasives, taking random,
but educational walks on the trails, planning programs for visitors, maintaining the spillway,
weed-whacking, chasing down random people with dogs.Ê You name it.Ê I probably did
it.
The best part of my experience here at the refuge was everything I did things.Ê I never
thought I would and learned a lot.Ê The worst part would be removing the dead muskrat from
the spillway, but I got over it, thankfully.
This has been a very rewarding summer.Ê Working at the refuge-opened door that I never knew
existed.Ê I do not know what the future holds, but I am willing and ready to try.