Last month we welcomed to the EHS Support 2025 Summer Internship Program a talented, multi-disciplinary team of interns from science and engineering backgrounds with varying knowledge in hydrogeology, ecology, chemistry, engineering, and data science/geographic information systems. The 10-week project assignment focusing on a regional-scale assessment of multiple major urban waterways in the United States is well underway, so let’s take the opportunity to learn about our incredible interns. Find out more about their backgrounds and what they are looking forward to most this summer.
Rachel Scholl
College/University: Skidmore College
Major/area of study: Environmental science with a minor in chemistry and philosophy.
What do you hope to gain or achieve during your internship with EHS Support? My peers have such unique skills and backgrounds; I look forward to learning from them and working together on projects. I also hope to strengthen my data analytical skills this summer.
What’s a fun fact about yourself or a unique hobby/interest you’re passionate about? I love to bake!
If you could describe yourself in three words, what would they be? Detail-oriented, reliable, and a team player
What’s a personal skill or quality you bring to the team? I feel that I am organized, and I enjoy working with my colleagues to collaboratively solve problems.
Who or what has been your biggest inspiration in shaping your career path so far? My high school environmental science teacher, Mrs. Knoblauch, has been my biggest inspiration in shaping my career path. She inspired me to follow a path in environmental science and encouraged me to start my first research project!
Lily Donzeiser
College/University: University of California, Berkeley
Major/area of study: Environmental sciences with a minor in public policy
What do you hope to gain or achieve during your internship with EHS Support? I’m really looking forward to learning everything I can about environmental consulting and its functions! Before this internship, I’ve had an interest in learning about environmental forensics so I’m excited to get acquainted with that a bit more this summer.
What’s a fun fact about yourself or a unique hobby/interest you’re passionate about? I love to collect and listen to old records! My favorite musical years are between 1965-1976.
If you could describe yourself in three words, what would they be? Compassionate, attentive, and (mostly as a good thing!) talkative
What’s a personal skill or quality you bring to the team? I have 5+ years of experience conducting academic research, so I’m already enjoying being able to use those same research skills – especially when it comes to finding valuable papers/reports/sources and thinking analytically to connect the dots!
Who or what has been your biggest inspiration in shaping your career path so far? Reading Silent Spring for the first time was my biggest motivation to pursue an environmental science degree. It was a ‘call to action’ book for me. I’ve read it over so many times now – I even brought it with me to week 1 of the internship program – and each time I feel like I take away something new and valuable.
Maia Morgan
College/University: Rutgers University
Major/area of study: Environmental Science
What do you hope to gain or achieve during your internship with EHS Support? I am looking forward to strengthening my knowledge of Superfund processes from the inside and having the experience of working with experts in the field!
What’s a fun fact about yourself or a unique hobby/interest you’re passionate about? I love to read, and I get really into authors and their histories. It lends new perspectives on their writing styles, characters, world building, and it’s just fun. For instance, I am currently reading Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis who was in fact close friends with J.R.R. Tolkien!
If you could describe yourself in three words, what would they be? Detailed, anxious, and caffeinated
What’s a personal skill or quality you bring to the team? I am very curious and always want to fully explore topics I am interested in. I think genuine curiosity can be a great tool in tasks like literature reviews and researching with the team.
If you could work on solving one global challenge, what would it be and why? Environmental justice would be the one global challenge I would like to tackle because it reaches beyond just clean air and water. It’s a basic human rights issue that needs to be solved with sustainability and respect for our Earth and all the people who call it home.
Nibia Becerra Santillan
College/University: I just graduated from Macalester College
Major/area of study: B.A. in biology and statistics
What do you hope to gain or achieve during your internship with EHS Support? I want to learn how to manage, process, and analyze environmental data effectively in order to inform decisions.
What’s a fun fact about yourself or a unique hobby/interest you’re passionate about? I love dancing and choreographing. I have a background in Peruvian Traditional Dances, but I am always very eager to learn new genres and challenge myself.
If you could describe yourself in three words, what would they be? Resilient, empathetic, and curious
What’s a personal skill or quality you bring to the team? I really like the programming language R, and I am looking forward to continuing building my skills with different types of environmental data.
If you could work on solving one global challenge, what would it be and why? Through my career, I hope to contribute to environmental justice by translating science to actionable solutions and centering communities disproportionally impacted by environmental degradation and climate change.
Willow Kingston
College/University: The University of Vermont
Major/area of study: Environmental science with a concentration in conservation biology and biodiversity.
What do you hope to gain or achieve during your internship with EHS Support? I hope to gain a better understanding of what environmental consulting work looks like day-to-day and if it’s a good fit for me going forward. It is so exciting to have the opportunity to apply everything I’ve learned about in my coursework to real, meaningful projects as an EHS Support intern.
What’s a fun fact about yourself or a unique hobby/interest you’re passionate about? My favorite hobbies are reading, cooking, and yoga!
If you could describe yourself in three words, what would they be? Curious, driven, and empathetic
What’s a personal skill or quality you bring to the team? I have a lot of experience with statistical analysis in R from my being a teaching assistant for an applied environmental statistics course at UVM.
Who or what has been your biggest inspiration in shaping your career path so far? My mom has been my biggest inspiration in shaping my career path. Not only is she incredibly supportive of my education and my decisions, but she has also always been an amazing role model for me because of the dedication and passion she has for her work.
Ann Haas
College/University: University of Vermont
Major/area of study: Environmental science with minors in computer science and geospatial technologies.
What do you hope to gain or achieve during your internship with EHS Support? I am hoping to gain a sense of what it is like to be in the environmental consulting field through this internship. I am also excited to learn more about sediment sampling and pollutant movement through the projects we are working on this summer. Finally, I am thrilled to get to know and work with the other extremely talented interns at EHS!
What’s a fun fact about yourself or a unique hobby/interest you’re passionate about? I love salsa dancing! I took up Latin ballroom in college and am now the Vice President of the UVM Salsa Team! It has been an amazing way to meet people, experience Latin culture, and express myself through dance and music.
If you could describe yourself in three words, what would they be? Outgoing, loving, and determined
What’s a personal skill or quality you bring to the team? I think I bring my organizational skills, GIS knowledge, and of course enthusiasm to the team!
Who or what has been your biggest inspiration in shaping your career path so far? I think the natural world has been my biggest inspiration as I have explored different pathways to go in with my career. I have always loved nature and spending time outside, and that fuels me to be passionate about what I do academically and professionally! We have been given the beautiful gift of our world, and it is our duty to protect and care for it!
Riley Wissler
College/University: Dartmouth College
Major/area of study: Biology with a focus on ecology
What do you hope to gain or achieve during your internship with EHS Support? I hope to come away from this internship not only with a wealth of knowledge of the waterway I am researching along with an insightful report by my team, but also to learn from others in EHS Support about their unique experiences and what they’ve learned from them.
What’s a fun fact about yourself or a unique hobby/interest you’re passionate about? I love cycling, whether it’s road, gravel, or mountain biking! I’m also hoping to do a couple bikepacking trips this summer.
If you could describe yourself in three words, what would they be? Adventurous, humorous, and inquisitive
What’s a personal skill or quality you bring to the team? I’m excited to bring my problem-solving approach and experience in research to the team.
If you could work on solving one global challenge, what would it be and why? Biodiversity loss. Not only would solving this challenge take me to some beautiful places with stunning biology, but my background in ecology and environmental policy would make me well suited for the task!
Xindi (Cindy) Liu
College/University: Cornell University (College of Agriculture and Life Sciences)
Major/area of study: Biometry & Statistics and Environmental Engineering
What do you hope to gain or achieve during your internship with EHS Support? I hope to learn more about the field of environmental consulting in general as well as utilize and develop my professional skills more. I would like to also understand how statistical tools can be incorporated into environmental problems, like helping to determine the fate and transport of contaminants. But overall, I want to gain insight into the industry and learn from professional scientists and mentors.
What’s a fun fact about yourself or a unique hobby/interest you’re passionate about? I’ve lived in three countries throughout my life: Beijing, China; Geneva, Switzerland; and NYC, USA.
If you could describe yourself in three words, what would they be? Diligent, responsible, and adaptive
What’s a personal skill or quality you bring to the team? I am bringing the quality of understanding. I understand that there are differences among all of us, from cultures to abilities to personalities, so it is very important to appreciate and respect everyone in order to develop and thrive together as a team.
If you could work on solving one global challenge, what would it be and why? The global challenge would have to be climate change for me, which is the main reason why I chose the major of environmental engineering in the first place. I loved nature and the environment as a kid and wanted to keep the Earth as beautiful as it always has been.
Kate McNerney
College/University: Columbia University
Major/area of study: Earth Science
What do you hope to gain or achieve during your internship with EHS Support? I hope to learn more about the role of environmental consultants in combatting environmental issues. I am excited to see how they use chemical investigations and data to trace toxins in waterways.
What’s a fun fact about yourself or a unique hobby/interest you’re passionate about? I love doing triathlons! I am doing my second half Ironman this summer
If you could describe yourself in three words, what would they be? Motivated, disciplined, and positive
What’s a personal skill or quality you bring to the team? I am an efficient, reliable coworker!
Who or what has been your biggest inspiration in shaping your career path so far? I am most inspired to clean up our planet to benefit all those who live on it!
