This year, we checked in with some of our past interns to find out what came next after their internship ended. Did they stay with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or land another sweet job? We hope they put those skills to good use! Look out for these stories to find out about their life after the internship. First up: Melissa Lesh. Below, find out where she started with us and where she is now.
For three years, I worked with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in three different states, as a biotech and a park ranger. I tagged woodcocks, tracked bats, swabbed black ducks, pulled invasive plants, photographed and filmed wildlife, and absolutely loved it. Each summer was an opportunity to explore new places with new people and learn more about the natural world. That was from 2009 – 2012, three summers I will never forget.
That’s me banding salt marsh sparrows with another biotech at Parker River National Wildlife Refuge in Massachusetts.
A cedar waxwing, one of my all time favorites!
Now, I make documentary films combining science, nature, and my love for the arts and I travel a lot. Check out my work at vimeo.com/melissalesh or follow me on instagram @emergingearth.
I am also an avid whitewater kayaker that believes the more time we spend in the elements, the more we appreciate those places and creatures, and ultimately the more we want to protect them… so go play outside!
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Northeast Region 
Hey, you are really leaving footprints all over the place. cheers. Bill