Read about Emma Sherrill's, TLC's Spring Education & Outreach Intern, experience working with TLC.
By Ava Lipsey, TLC's Education & Outreach Intern
During the summer of 2026 I became the PINES Education Intern for Triangle Land Conservancy. As I reflect back on my time during this position, I can't help but think about my upbringing that led me down this path. Before becoming a part of TLC, I was a creative-natured kid who grew up in Michigan and eagerly wanted to learn about how everything outside was connected. After moving to NC when I was 12 and witnessing rural land, I gravitated towards the idea of working with nature when I grew up. I joined the TLC fellowship 'Pathways into Natural Environmental Sciences' in my junior year of high school, which eventually led me to major in Environmental Science at NCSU and engage in various intern positions offered through TLC.
Kicking off the summer, I learned about all the different types of programs TLC hosts, ranging from family outdoor educational activities to guided hikes that take place at our nature preserves. I began brainstorming the type of workshop I would eventually create and lead at the end of the position. I spent time wondering how in the world I would pull any of this stuff off without freezing up. Eventually, I would be able to educate our community about environmental issues, but before that, I engaged in a lot of shadowing and training to execute the abilities I was lacking.
Shadowing events such as Nature Story Times and ‘Get Wild: Creek Critters’ led by Meera, TLC’s Environmental Education Associate, helped me get a better picture of how each age group responds to outdoor educational activities and what they find engaging. Leading one of our youth critter events, Meera gave me the idea to research cricket frogs, found in the NC piedmont and the Williamson Preserve pond. Through this research, TLC's Communications Associate, Florencia Loncán and I collaborated on a script and eventually a social media video to successfully educate the public on Northern and Southern Cricket frogs. By the end of the project, I learned that it's not your image that you should be concerned about when communicating to the public, but rather the message you are trying to convey.
By the middle of the summer, I had finalized the idea for my program and decided on the topic of handmade paper. 'Make Paper N' Nature' was the title, and at no cost at all, participants could engage in the ancient art of handmade paper and learn about why this sustainable practice benefits our earth's natural resources. Researching all the ways in which my participants could create a full sheet of paper in a two-hour time slot was difficult and required us to adapt to weather changes, but by the time I had to actually lead it, everything just seemed to fall into place.
Near the end, we had discussed ideas about the upcoming outdoor learning space, an area in Williamson catered towards environmental educators and students. To my surprise I was asked to create a draft of laminate yard signage that consists of artistic depictions surrounding topics like pollinators, pond life, and the anatomy of plants! I was elated to find out that not only did I get to put my creative design skills to use, but also my position as a PINES Education Intern was extended so that I could continue to educate the public through the OLS interpretive signs.
