By Adelyn Overton, Development Intern
For more than 50 years, Stroud Water Research Center has welcomed interns to assist with research and other mission-focused work while they gain valuable professional experience and networking opportunities.
Kerry Morley (Entomology)
Morley is a student at Temple University hoping to study ecology, environmental science, and biodiversity but is currently undecided. She loves the work environment at the Stroud Center and would like to have a lap cat as an office pet. In her free time, she swims, plays rugby, and makes ceramics. If she could have any superpower it would be shape-shifting.
Kevin Small (Entomology)
Small is a rising senior at Long Island University. He is majoring in biology with a focus on ecology and evolution. His work at the Stroud Center includes identifying individuals in samples and some fieldwork where he conducts tests on waterways. If he had a million dollars, he would help his special needs brother get the best support possible. His favorite sport is baseball. If he could swap with anyone for a day, he would choose Mike Trout, who plays for the Los Angeles Angels.
Kate Knox (Entomology)
Knox is studying ecology and evolution at the University of Pittsburgh. Her work at the Stroud Center includes identifying insects in a sample to get a better picture of the stream’s health. In her free time, she enjoys playing mallet percussion, reading books (her favorites being those in the Wheel of Time series), and volunteering at animal shelters. If she could swap places with anyone for a day, it would be entrepreneur Jeff Bezos to give away all of his money.
Victor Kowalski (Entomology)
Kowalski is currently a student at the University of Delaware studying wildlife ecology and conservation. He enjoys the work he does at the Stroud Center and hopes to be employed in a similar place one day. He likes to stay active by hiking in Wissahickon, the Philadelphia neighborhood where he grew up. He likes the current office pet, Yeti the Frog, and will keep the same office pet in the future. His favorite movie is Ratatouille. If he could swap places with anyone for a day, he would choose a musician on tour or a hype man.
Hunt R. Kinnaird (Entomology)
Kinnaird studies environmental science at the University of Delaware. He hopes to work at the Stroud Center in the future in either biogeochemistry or restoration. He plays guitar and would like an echidna as an office pet. If he could have a superpower, it would be the ability to control water. His favorite outdoor activity is looking for bugs underneath rocks.
Alex Desjardins (Ecosystems)
Desjardins is going into his senior year at West Chester University, where he is studying ecology. At the Stroud Center, he is studying the DNA of algae in a watershed. As a future career, he would like to work in a place like the Stroud Center that focuses on research and outreach. If he could swap places with anyone for a day, he would choose a cuisine reviewer who travels the world eating good food. His favorite superpower is teleportation.
Sara Sabo (Entomology)
Sabo is currently at Penn State studying wildlife and fisheries with an emphasis on fisheries. Some of her hobbies include fishing, hiking, and horseback riding. In her career, she would like to work somewhere with a large fisheries department. If she could make millions of dollars doing something she enjoys, she would be a professional horseback rider. She would like to swap places with biologist and extreme angler Jeremy Wade for a day because she loves the idea of going all around the world and fishing in remote locations.
Marie Gazzillo (Entomology)
Gazzillo attended Ursinus College in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, and graduated with a bachelor’s in environmental science and minors in sociology and marine studies. She would like to work at the Stroud Center or a place similar; she enjoys the Entomology Group and how they work as a tight-knit group. Working out is one of her hobbies, and her favorite places to hike are in Jim Thorpe and Ridley Creek State Park. As an office pet, she would choose her chocolate lab, Coco.
Giovina Leeds (Entomology)
Leeds currently studies public health at the University of Pittsburgh. She loves the family-like feel of the Stroud Center and hopes to work in healthcare. She is interested in virology and enforcing policy that helps provide healthcare for everyone at the corporate or government level. Her favorite movie is Titanic; she loves the character Rose. If she could be anything for a day, she would choose a wombat in a zoo so she could relax and eat all day.
Sydney Haefner (Watershed Restoration)
Haefner recently graduated from Penn State with a major in environmental resources and a minor in soil science; she focused her studies on water. She works with the Stroud Center’s watershed restoration team, primarily on riparian buffer sites in Lancaster and Chester counties. Besides her environmental science pursuits, she has various art-related interests such as pottery, knitting, crocheting, graphic design, and drawing. If she could swap places with anyone for a day, it would be TV personality and wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin, as she would love to work with fascinating animals.
Adelyn Overton (Development)
Overton is a rising junior at Avon Grove High School. She is interested in a biological sciences career path and joined the Stroud Center intern program to find out more. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, camping, and watching shows, her favorite being Sherlock. She plays pitcher on a travel softball team, the Oxford Diamond Divas. If she could do anything to make a million dollars, she would choose to travel the world.
Abby Horst (Watershed Restoration)
Horst is helping the watershed restoration crew install and perform maintenance on riparian buffers in Chester and Lancaster counties. She would love to work at the Stroud Center in the future. Her interests include freshwater ecosystems and watershed science, and she will always have a fondness for freshwater insects. She is an equestrian and loves to attend shows with her horse, Tater. On a rainy day, she loves to watch movies snuggled up on the couch with her two dogs.
If you or someone you know would like to be considered for an internship, keep an eye on our Jobs page. The summer internship application period generally opens in January and closes in March.
