Introductions!

 

Hi everybody! I’m Anna Howard, I’m a senior majoring in criminal justice at Temple University, and I’m a member of ProRanger Cohort 7.

My college journey started off a little unconventionally – I spent my first year of school in Tokyo, at Temple’s Japan campus – but before I even applied to Temple, I knew I was interested in the ProRanger program. I was initially attracted to the ProRanger program because of its internship opportunities – who wouldn’t want to spend a summer or two in a national park? – and because I found the idea of working outdoors really appealing. Since joining the program, I’ve gained an interest in law, law enforcement, and emergency management. I started working at Temple’s Office of Emergency Management as a student worker in 2019 and have been there ever since. While I have had a wide range of interests and considered a lot of different majors (including environmental science, geology, and even technical production for theater), the one constant in my life has been a passion for the outdoors and a desire to get involved in protecting our natural spaces.

I grew up utilizing state and local parks with my family and friends. We are so fortunate in Philadelphia to have access to the Wissahickon Valley Park, which has about 50 miles of trails, and I’ve spent countless hours hiking and walking the family dog in the park over the years. Beginning in pre-school, I went on yearly camping trips to Cape Henlopen State Park with my family and a group of family friends, all the way until high school. Here’s me with the camping crew, looking stylish in the pink pants:

In college, I have less time for camping, but my aunt and I have a tradition of getting in some backcountry canoe camping in Everglades National Park (one of my favorite places on Earth) whenever I visit my extended family in Florida. 

These experiences have left me with a deep respect and gratitude for public lands. I am so thankful for the opportunity to be a part of protecting and providing safe access to our parks. During my summer internship, I hope to get a closer look at everyday life in a national park, to gain perspective on how parks work from the inside, and simply to absorb as much information as possible. As is often said both to and by ProRangers, I will do my best to “be a sponge”. Although I don’t know exactly where I’m headed yet, I’m very excited to be able to play an active role in park operations and to give back to the park system I get so much out of. Here’s to a great summer!