This summer, 14 Fort Lewis College students traveled home, across the country and abroad through the Food, Energy, and Water Internship Program, gaining hands-on experience that deepened their understanding of sustainability, community, and their future careers.
While their experiences varied widely, from learning traditional salmon fishing in Alaska and buffalo rematriation in Texas, to working with community members in Durango’s SOIL Learning Lab, they all agreed on one thing: the experience reshaped how they see the world.
The program provides students with a housing stipend and paid work opportunities, allowing them to pursue projects and internships aligned with their academic interests and career goals. Funding comes from donors and grant partners, including the Native American Agriculture Fund, Natural Pathways Foundation, The Network for Engineering with Nature at the University of Georgia, Trish and Eddy Roberts, Boyd and Kim Richardson, and the Marcey Olajos Environmental Leadership Fund.
Students participating in the program recently gathered at the Center for Indigenous Research, Culture, and Language in Jones Hall to share a meal and reflect on their summer experiences with faculty, staff, and donors who’ve made the program possible.
Close to campus
“My SOIL summer was full of opportunities to connect with community, get my hands in the dirt, and practice creative imagining,” said Park Donnelly, a Studio Art major who spent the summer working at the SOIL Outdoor Learning Lab in Durango, an outdoor garden space rooted in community engagement, education, and food security.
“It’s really deeply affirming. I’ve worked a lot of jobs in my life, and being able to wake up every day and go to a garden was absolutely amazing. There was a lot of hard work; I did a lot of physical labor. It’s one of those things that when you’re there and in it, you get to really soak in all the goodness and see where there are maybe cracks. You get to see the whole picture.”
Steve Bradfield Jr., a senior and Native American Studies major, shared a similar perspective gained during his internship at FLC, where he worked on the Indigenous Garden through FLC’s Reconciliation Center.
“There’s nothing like having hands-on training,” said Bradfield. “The highlight of the program was when our team, along with community members, faculty members, and students, planted our plant relatives into the soil. I am just ecstatic to have been part of this effort from the start.”
Home communities and tribal land
Kate Nuzum, an Environmental Conservation and Management major, spent her summer at Sweetlove Farm in Oskaloosa, Kansas, about 30 minutes from her home, learning about sustainable food systems while working on a regenerative poultry farm.
At the farm, Nuzum said she worked raising chickens from start to finish, handling everything from raising chicks to processing birds for sale. For Nuzum, taking part in sustainable farming so close to home, yet a world apart, was life-changing.
“I was a city girl my whole life. I had no idea what I was getting myself into,” she said. “I loved it so much, and I learned so much about myself. Being in the presence of death… it was really uncomfortable, and I learned so much in those uncomfortable moments.”
For some students, the most valuable lesson was learning to adapt when plans changed.
Kimie Anderson, a senior majoring in environmental sciences, focused her internship on learning about graywater systems through various trainings while working for the Hopi Tutskwa Permaculture Institute.
“This summer, I had to pivot so many times away from what I wanted to do. And I think it just builds your adaptability,” said Anderson, who designed a graywater system and hopes to promote the use of such systems broadly.
For others, the lesson was learning what it takes to feed a community. Sam Petersen joined the meeting by Zoom from Anchorage, Alaska, after spending the summer in Dillingham, Alaska.
“Part of my time I spent working on the land there, getting stuff fixed for when we got fish. And when we got fish, we got a lot of fish,” he said. “It is very rewarding to know that this food is going to a good place to people who really need it.”
Exploring the world
Studio Art major Tess Allcock spent the summer in Peru and Ecuador learning about subsistence agriculture. She worked on remote farms, planting loofah, building traditional palm-leaf roofs, and helping cultivate cacao while experiencing life without many modern conveniences.
In Ecuador, she joined Jungle Roots, an organization focused on strengthening the local economy through education and ecotourism, before returning to Peru to work on a cacao farm in the Conga Canyon region.
For Allcock, a barista, learning how coffee and cacao are grown and harvested was especially meaningful.
“Actually seeing the whole process and how much work, effort, and energy goes into that is such a huge thing we just take for granted when you just buy a bag of beans off the shelf,” she said. “You don’t see how much work and how much energy and how people stress about. There are just so many complexities that you don't see, so it was very, very good to have that experience.”
Becky Clausen, a professor of Sociology and Human Services, said the program’s paid structure is critical because it allows students to pursue meaningful work without having to choose between earning income and gaining experience in their fields of interest.
Clausen works collaboratively with three other professors leading the program: Kathy Hilimire, a professor in the Department of Environment and Sustainability and coordinator of the Regenerative Food Systems certificate, Keri Brandt Off, professor of sociology, and Carolyn Cummins, an associate professor in the Department of Environment and Sustainability and former Director of Four Corners Water Center.
“For the past five years, the Food, Energy, and Water Internship program has helped our students find their path into meaningful work after they graduate. The secret is to follow our students’ lead into the communities and topics they care about, and then help make it happen.”