“I’m one of those people who loves a new opportunity,” says Erin Holland. “Heck, my last fellowship was a water research project in Norway! If you say you need something done, I’m game…unless it involves animals,” she jokes.

Erin’s can-do attitude was a positive match for STAR Conservation, a Midwest-based nonprofit that helps farmers meet their conservation goals. When STAR was looking for an intern to help build out their community resource database, “Erin was our number one choice for a lot of reasons,” says Shiva Scotti, STAR’s operation director. “She’s mature. She has shown a pattern of consistent, quality work. And she is joyful, which was a great fit for the personality of our team.”

STAR has been so impressed with the caliber of Erin’s work that it is looking to bring her on for a second internship.

STAR is one of a growing number of environmental nonprofits working with MobilizeGreen, an organization dedicated to connecting top-tier talent with viable career pathways in green STEM.

“As climate change continues to happen, the communities most affected by environmental challenges are the ones being left out of the conversation,” says John Campbell, head of philanthropic partnerships for MobilizeGreen. “Young people in these communities care, and they are really eager, but they have not had the opportunities to get into this work.”

With support from the Walton Family Foundation, MobilizeGreen launched The Virtual Intern following the COVID-19 pandemic. The program partners with nonprofits and other organizations to place college-level students in short-term, project-based virtual internships in communities across the country. Support for the program is guided by the foundation’s belief that better outcomes for water, the environment and people can be achieved by engaging, empowering and learning from diverse partners.

Through its virtual format, paid placements and project-based experience, MobilizeGreen has assigned 1,000 virtual interns with 22 nonprofits since its launch in 2020.

Erin grew up in the city of Macon, Georgia, and fondly recalls visiting her grandparents in rural Georgia and Florida as a child. “My parents would send us away for a few weeks in the summer to visit them, and they always had a garden – growing their own peppers, tomatoes and greens, surrounded by stands of pecan and peach trees. Pecans are still my favorite!”

This upbringing sparked an interest during her studies at the prestigious Tuskegee University, where she graduated with a degree in environmental science in 2020.

As a pandemic grad, Erin understands all too well how challenging it has been to find a foothold in the sector. “It felt like a lot of positions were available in December of 2019, and by March 2020 they started to disappear.”

She discovered the MobilizeGreen Virtual Intern program through a friend while she was completing a master’s degree at the University of Michigan.

Erin says that the biggest perk of a virtual internship is the flexibility. “I live at home in Macon, and moving to where the work is has been one huge barrier that I didn’t have to overcome. With this experience, I didn’t need to figure out where I was going to live [for an eight-week internship].”

She also says that staying at home has enabled her to take care of family responsibilities nearby while still participating in a structured career experience.

At STAR, Erin is supporting the buildout of their community assessment tools, which are tailored to the needs of specific crops and regions.

“STAR has great online tools and resources for farmers,” says Erin. “My job has been to fill in the missing pieces across the system, add detail to descriptions, identify available funding, and help make sure that if a farmer only grows soybeans for example, the web tool isn’t producing results for corn growers.”

Erin says the internship has honed her skills and prepared her well for a career in the sector. “I’m a better researcher now. I’ve learned patience. And I’ve had the chance to meet professionals across the organization, each in service of trying to make a better planet for all.”

John says applications for The Virtual Intern Program currently far exceed available positions.

“We have 30,000 applicants at any given time, and only have about 700 internships to fill through our partner organizations. Our priority now is to find more employers.” Even for applicants who aren’t placed, MobilizeGreen is working on a curriculum to support students with career development, resume support and one-on-one coaching.

John understands the dilemma employers face. “Having an intern is a lot of work, and folks might not feel like they have the capacity to take on the responsibility, or the budget to pay interns a living wage.”

MobilizeGreen makes the hiring process as simple as possible, from drafting and posting job descriptions, to professional development, to paying interns directly. “All employers need to do is have a project that needs to be a completed and a supportive manager.”

MobilizeGreen is now working with the foundation and other partners in reaching out directly to foundation grantees like STAR Conservation for internship opportunities.

As Erin looks to a future in conservation, she feels more prepared than ever. “MobilizeGreen has been a great place to figure out what’s next. It’s given me the time and space to work with organizations that are willing to help me grow.”