Reflections from a Summit Student Intern

by Priscila Santos Urteaga

Hello! I’m Priscila Santos Urteaga, an international student from Monterrey, Mexico. Three years ago, I moved to the U.S. for college and am now in my final semester at Colorado State University, majoring in Human Dimensions of Natural Resources! I began my internship with the Center for Collaborative Conservation this past June, and my main role has been assisting Katie McGrath-Novak, the Colorado Forest Collaboratives Network Coordinator, in planning the 2024 Colorado Forest Collaboratives Summit.

Check out the post below to hear more about my experience!

CFCN Intern | Priscila

Tell us about yourself and what drew you to this program.

One of my biggest passions is the complex web of interactions between wildlife, humans, and the environment. I’m particularly interested in how climate change impacts all three and how their relationships can play a role in mitigating these effects. I realized early on in my career that human behavior and social science are the key to solving this issue, which led me to the field of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources and eventually the Center for Collaborative Conservation (CCC).

When I heard about the CCC in a Principles of Environmental Communication class a year ago, it instantly caught my attention, and I knew I had to find a way to be a part of it. Fast-forward a few months, I got an email from one of my advisors saying I should apply for the Colorado State University Career Center SPARK internship. This internship felt like the perfect match for me because it was paid, on-campus, and one of the internship sites happened to be an event planning focus at the CCC. I applied for the program and was thrilled to be accepted! I’ve been with the CCC for over four months now and am so thankful to be a part of such an amazing team.

Tell us a bit about your experience at Summit – what were a few takeaways?

What really struck me during this experience was the incredible level of detail and flexibility required in event planning. My favorite aspect of Summit was definitely witnessing everything we had worked so hard on come to fruition. It’s one thing to draft an agenda and manage logistics, but seeing our vision and efforts materialize right before our eyes was truly amazing. I also cherished the opportunity to meet all the wonderful people I had been emailing with back and forth. Since starting my internship, I’ve heard several individuals emphasize the value of face-to-face meetings, and I wholeheartedly agree that they can’t be substituted by emails or calls.

Do you have any advice for students who are navigating their first conference?

Being around so many experts and influential figures in your field can feel intimidating at first. However, one way I eased my anxiety before attending the Summit was by shifting my viewpoint on these individuals. While discussing their work and insights is certainly valuable, I believe it’s even more crucial to see them as people first, rather than just representatives of their organizations. I really enjoyed engaging in conversations about their personal experiences and hearing their stories before diving into their professional journeys.