I had the opportunity to work at the Big Thicket National Preserve booth for Beaumont Pride Celebration. There I met locals from the city of Beaumont and the surrounding cities and counties. We even had a good turn out for youth coming up to our booth.

At the booth, we displayed coyote fur, river otter fur, alligator skull, and deer antlers. The purpose of our booth was to educate and connect them to the national park in their “backyard”. We use this phrase because the way the thicket is connected by waterways. Many of the locals found it cool to find a piece of the government supporting the LGBTQ+ community. I found this very important because part of my coworkers are a part of this community and making sure they feel accepted is the most important attribute that a work environment should have.

I love the work environment and the relationships I am building with my coworkers. This makes this internship and experience mean so much more to me!