After I graduated college, it took me some time to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. One of the best ways I spent my “time off” was a trip to Oregon. My girlfriend happened to have a volleyball tournament in Portland, and the Deschutes River in September is prime for steelhead fishing. I put together a trip of 3 days in the Oregon desert, and 2 in the heart of Portland. It was absolutely amazing. Although I didn’t figure things out right away, I found that the Oregon desert is a perfect place to spend some time considering the next step in your life. It’s also an awesome place to be outdoors. The High Desert Museum is located in Bend, OR and it has quite a few internships that will allow you enjoy the desert, get relevant work experience, and ponder your future.
The High Desert Museum consists of four different areas: Living History, Wildlife, Indoor Exhibits, and Outdoor Exhibits. Admission passes last for 2 days, because visitors need that much time to take in everything that the museum has to offer. It looks like they’ve done a fantastic job of creating an experience that authentically highlights the history and the natural beauty of the high desert.
The High Desert Museum offers internships in some fascinating areas. They include Wildlife – Birds of Prey, Wildlife – Exhibits, School Programs – Summer Camp, School Programs – Teen programs, Living History Interpreter – Male, Living History – Native American Interpreter, Museum Interpretation, Development Assistant, and Guest Services. I find the Birds of Prey internships particularly cool, but maybe that’s because I have an obsession with hawks and other raptors. Each internship has a description – some are more in-depth than others – that can be found on the High Desert Museum Internships page. A general overview of the internship program can be found in this pdf file. Also, the Teen Programs position has this note next to the link: “Americorps Education Award of $1,250 (450 hours).” We’re not exactly sure what that means, but it looks like it’s partially paid. From what we can tell, the rest of the internships at the High Desert Museum are unpaid.
The deadline for applying to be a Summer intern at the High Desert Museum is just a couple weeks away – April 15th; however, there are Fall and Spring internships too (deadlines of June 15th and October 15th respectively). To apply you should fill out an Internship application and a background check form and send it to tracy@highdesertmuseum.org. If you get selected for one of these internships, I’ll certainly be envious.
Links to Help You Begin Your Research
Seriously, spending a summer in the desert is a lot better than it sounds.
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Tags: animals, Internships, living history, museum, non-profit
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