Internship Overview: The Park People

I am collaborating with the nonprofit The Park People, an organization committed to the
completion of tree planting projects, education of urban forestry employees, and creation
and maintenance of Denver’s urban canopy. I am working directly under Jane Smith, the
manager of the TreeForce education program, and the research that I am doing is for the
benefit of that program. On the internship side, I am under the supervision of Dr. Cara
DiEnno, the coordinator of the Changemakers Internship Program. I am the sole intern of
The Park People, and on this project I work alone and have no peer collaborators.
The project that I am working on has two parts, one of which I have already finished. My
task is to complete two separate rounds of industry research into local job opportunities in urban forestry, and translate the entry level expectations of the industry into a presentation about the current industry status, and how we can best prepare our apprentices for it by teaching them all the relevant skills.

I have already completed a full job registry for Winter 2026, analyzed my findings, compiled them into a presentation, and shared it with Jane and other relevant collaborators. For the remainder of Winter Quarter and into Spring, I will repeat my process for a separate spring registry for the purpose of seasonal comparison.

My findings should help inform the TreeForce program for the upcoming years, making
adjustments as necessary to the curriculum to best prepare our apprentices for the
modern urban forestry job market.
I have been commuting to The Park People’s headquarters in Denver one day a
week to complete field work, receive guidance, or work on my special project.

In Fall Quarter, I work exclusively at the office on Mondays. In Winter, due to scheduling conflicts and greater workload, I have split the time I work between the office (Thursdays) and
research done remotely. Field work (work and experience not directly related to my
project) has taken me all over Denver and even to Golden. I have completed tree health
checks, assisted with paperwork, sat in on interviews, and even pitched the TreeForce
program at a career fair.

To complete my research project, I first had to compile a list of all urban forestry job
listings in Colorado that I could find. I used Indeed, Bebee, LinkedIn, ZipRecruiter, Teal,
and so many more platforms. Jane compiled a list of job titles to search, and I worked my
way through it. After finding a listing, I would log information such as the type of job (part-
time or full-time), the location, the company, the salary, the description, and most
importantly, the qualifications. After I had exhausted my search avenues and compiled a
complete list of 40 urban forestry jobs currently hiring near me, I analyzed the data I had collected to compile a complete report of my findings. I then organized what I had into a
presentation, and sent it to my collaborators.
Since sending over my findings, I have received nothing but positive feedback that my
contribution has been helpful, and that my next report is eagerly awaited to compare
findings. Moving forward, I plan to use the process I have already learned to help me with
the next job registry, and to use the insight I have gained from my field work to tailor my
findings to the overall goals of TreeForce and The Park People as a whole.

I pursued this internship to expand the outreach of the contributions I’m able to make, and to gain real-world experience working at a nonprofit and on projects that matter. The Park People represent an important movement toward greenification of urban spaces that I personally value, and they share my belief that increased tree cover and greenery in urban spaces not only leads to cleaner air and sustainable soil, but to better quality of life for the residents of our city. They also share my belief that everyone deserves green spaces, and that environmentally underserved communities must be prioritized in efforts for environmental justice. 

This work contributes to my personal and professional development because it has given me experience working at a nonprofit, which is currently a likely career path for me. It also has given me the insight that the work done in interest groups and nonprofits is some of the most important and rewarding work for society, and that it is something that I love and will continue to be a part of.