Catherine Pendleton-Wheeler

Catherine, in a white button down shirt and denim jacket, smiling while standing in front of the ocean at sunset.

Pronouns

she/her

Degree and Class Year

BA ’22

Hometown

Peterborough, New Hampshire

Major

Sociology and Anthropology

Internship

Environmental Learning Center

What three words would you use to describe L&C?

Kind, Small, Impactful
Can you tell us what you’re doing this summer? What are your basic duties as an intern?

I worked for the Environmental Learning Center (ELC) at Clackamas Community College. I assisted them in a few areas of their work. I wrote a new management plan for the Community Garden space, planned and led three volunteer events at the Learning Center, and helped pack their Nature Spy Explorer Kits to be sent to children.

How has Lewis & Clark supported you in the process of finding, securing, and/or funding your internship?

During spring semester, I was presented with an opportunity to interview with organizations specifically working with the sustainability course. I received great support from Amy Dvorak in preparing for my interviews and deciding which opportunities I wanted to take. I received a stipend, but also received additional funding from the sustainability department for the work that I did. The class met throughout my internship. That was a great place for me to think about the work I was doing and how school, sustainability, and the working world all connect for me.

How do you see this internship leading to a career in your chosen field and aiding in your overall career development?

This internship showed me one of the many ways I can work with people and the outdoors. For my future career, I hope to engage people with the natural world in their own community. The ELC offers that in a few different ways. They have rehired me to help them in the fall and am excited to see where that opportunity leads.

How does this internship support your interest in sustainability?

I think taking part in the natural world wherever you are is a crucial part of sustainability and environmental work. The ELC is located at the headwaters to Newell Creek in Oregon City and takes great pride in the role the space plays in cleaning and cooling the creek water before it flows through the watershed. There are trails and gathering spaces along the creek that are open to the public. I love places where nature can be found within more urban environments, and where sustainability can be taught to anyone who passes through.