By Jackie Mosley | Assistant Features Editor
Dawn Danielson has one semester left of her senior year. She was due to graduate with a degree in biology this December. However, Danielson chose to postpone her graduation until May because of an opportunity she heard about from a professor during an in-class lecture.
“I was sitting in animal physiology one day and Dr. Pitts read an announcement that had been forwarded to him about the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers co-op program for Ranger Trainees,” Danielson said. “I thought it was worth a shot.”
After a series of applications and interviews, Danielson was awarded a coveted co-op through the Army Corps of Engineers this fall.
According to APSU Office of Public Relations this co-op is very similar to an internship, and requires Danielson to do hands-on work as a park ranger at Cheatham Lake.
The only catch to Danielson’s unique opportunity was that she had to take this semester off.
“It was one of the requirements of being in the co-op program,” Danielson said. “The whole reason I began going to college was to have a career doing something that I love.” Postponing graduation was a sacrifice Danielson was willing to make, considering she accepted a full time position within the Corps Nashville District after she graduates.
“My original plans after graduation were actually to go into either some kind of wildlife based job or research,” Danielson said. “With this job, I get a little of both.”
Danielson’s co-op experience consists of a very different work environment each day. She does daily patrols of the recreation areas around Cheatham Lake and helps promote water safety. She conducts plant and animal surveys and assesses the condition of different habitats around the lake area. Her work day is anything but typical.
“One day we may be patrolling or talking to campers, and the next day we may be out in the field surveying, tying trees or preparing for an event,” Danielson said. “This job has so many different aspects to it. Which is one of the things that I love about it so much.”
Danielson feels that her experiences at APSU have successfully prepared her for this co-op and her future job.
“I feel that the education that I received at APSU has prepared me for the nature of work that I am doing as a park ranger,” Danielson said. “I attribute this to the high standards of the professors in the biology department.”
A number of students each semester have the opportunity to participate in internships and introductory programs in their field of study.
Danielson is one of the grateful students who has an opportunity to make a career from her co-op. She encourages other students to search for programs like this. “A lot of opportunities can lead to full time employment in the end,” Danielson said.
If Danielson could stress one thing to other college seniors who are not quite sure what they will do with their degrees, it would be to take advantage of the opportunities presented frequently on campus.
“If I had not paid attention to the announcement that day, I wouldn’t be doing what I am doing now,” Danielson said. “I am truly blessed that this has turned out the way it has for me. “
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