Sydney Clayton

Rocky Mountain Youth Corps’ internship program engages young adults in valuable work experiences within such natural resources management agencies and non-profits as the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, Colorado Youth Corps Association, and more, facilitating employment with related jobs and careers (after completing 640 hours, interns also qualify for the Public Land Corps Hiring Authority, offering priority hiring when applying for USFS jobs). Below, we catch up with current RMYC intern Sydney Clayton for her take on the program.

Name: Sydney Clayton

Current title: AIM Intern

Background: Sydney grew up in Richmond, Virginia, and went to college at William & Mary. She studied environmental science and biology because she loved the subject and wanted to work outdoors. 

What have you done during some of your other college summers?

My first college summer after freshman year, I joined Rocky Mountain Youth Corps as a trail crew member. I loved every second of it and knew that I wanted to continue in this line of work. The next summer, I worked as a Youth Conservation Corps crew lead at a wildlife refuge in Virginia. In my last college summer, I completed a Fellowship experience with an environmental non-profit and worked for my college’s outdoors program leading a surfing trip for incoming freshmen. 

How did you hear about the RMYC Internship program?

After I did a trail crew with RMYC, I stayed connected by checking their Instagram and that’s where I saw the posts about the intern program. 

How’s the intern season going so far?

It’s going great. I’m learning tons of new skills, including plant identification and soil sampling, and I’ve practiced following strict scientific protocols in some adverse conditions. I’m gaining some great experience for future jobs in the outdoors.

What are some of your responsibilities?

As an AIM (Assessment, Inventory, and Monitoring) crew we travel to different locations in our field office to sample the vegetation and soils. This involves identifying every plant within our plot, testing the soil stability, and measuring the canopy gaps among other things. 

Any advice for other RMYC interns?

Always bring enthusiasm and passion for the job. It makes the long, hot days much more bearable. 

Any plans for the future?

I hope to continue doing seasonal work for the next few years and live in some really cool places!