Skip To Content
Join us on October 4 for our first-ever NYC Nature 5k in Forest Park, Queens! Register for the eventRegister for the NYC Nature 5K

We train the next generation

Empowering future leaders in conservation

Our internship and workforce development programs provide mentorship, technical training, and community to a diverse group of STEM students and those aspiring toward careers in conservation science.

By offering paid technical and professional development training to interns, we hope to create new opportunities for young New Yorkers to pursue and succeed in green jobs.

 

Since 2016, we have provided over 150 paid internships to more than 100 students from the City University of New York (CUNY). 

We offer a high school Student Urban Nature (SUN) paid internship program working with students in Forest Park, Queens, and in the Greenbelt, Staten Island. In 2024, our new fellowship program launched for CUNY students interested in natural resource management.

Recent triumphs

Internships with CUNY students in mind

We offer paid summer internships for CUNY students. This eight-week, full-time urban ecology program provides training in plant identification, field ecology, data management, ecological surveying methods, and trail improvement techniques.

Eligible interns include current CUNY students (undergraduates, graduate, and certification students) and recent graduates (within two years of graduation).

 

Interns also have the chance to hone their professional skills throughout their term. We offer resume and cover letter development guidance, and the opportunity to network with professionals from organizations like NYC Parks, local park conservancies, and city environmental organizations.

We found 80% of job-seeking interns secured employment within six months of completing our program, and 90% of those now work in the environmental field. 

All students who intern with the NAC join a thriving alumni network that continues to share knowledge, build community, highlight professional growth opportunities, and steward the environment.

Learn more about specific projects our interns work on each summer. 

Find out if you are eligible to participate in our internship program.

A CUNY intern story

How a Former NAC Intern Forged a Career in Public Health Advocacy

Former public health NAC intern, Julia Rossi, used skills gained during her NAC internship to purse a career in advocacy.

Read more
High School interns work on trails

SUN high school internship 

The high school SUN internship is a paid urban ecology program that is centered on fostering interest in science and nature by connecting students to their local natural area and the fascinating ecology within. 

By engaging with high school students who have been historically underrepresented in STEM fields, we hope to provide mentorship and training that will expand their opportunities to pursue careers in the ecology and environmental field. 

Students in our program can expect to learn about the foundations of wetland and forest ecology through flora and fauna identification, how data and observations inform natural areas management, and engage with local ecosystems through scientific inquiry, ending the summer by presenting their research findings at an end-of-summer symposium.

The high school SUN internship program has two program locations: 

Learn more about the SUN internship’s curriculum and program. 

Find out if you are eligible to participate in our high school program.

Stay tuned for information this winter about applications for our 2026 cohorts!

High school SUN internship research projects

  •  

    canopy competition

    Authored by Juliet Rabinowitz, Kareem Ali, Nathanael Alvarez

    Research conducted in Staten Island Greenbelt

  •  

    midstory overstory

    Authored by Madelyn Balseca, Alex George, Ashfaque Kareeb

    Research conducted in Forest Park, Queens

  • How Does Dead Matter and Leaf Litter Affect Soil Moisture and Plant Growth?

    Authored by Cailyn Chen, Nwanneka Odikagbue, Sudipto Halder

    Research conducted in Forest Park, Queens

  • Rooted in Vigor: Investigating the Link Between Crown Vigorand Soil Moisture At the Staten Island Greenbelt

    Authored by Emmanuel Nicanor , Evan Wu, Kaden Harvey

    Research conducted in Staten Island Greenbelt

  • Assessing the Correlation Between the Abundance of Epiphytic Lichen Growth and the Crown Vigor of Overstory Trees in Queens Forest Ecosystems

    Authored by Nicolas Ong, Nicole Perez, Sarika Ibnat

    Research conducted in Forest Park, Queens

  • EFFECT OF JAPANESE STILTGRASS PRESENCE ON THE HEALTH OFSKUNK CABBAGE AT GREENBELT NATURE CENTER

    Authored by Concetta Esposito, Grace Lin, Olivia Giardina

    Research conducted in Forest Park, Queens

Support our internship programs by giving today

Your contribution will help us continue to offer paid work opportunities to STEM students.

Give Today
Hands hold a plant with blue berries