If I had the opportunity to go back in time to chat with myself during my first ALLARM orientation, I’m sure that I would have lots of advice. I remember being so worried about not having the required skill set for the position, as I had no experience in the laboratory and had never worked for a community science organization. Time management between my job and classes stressed me out and finding a role for myself at ALLARM was daunting. I remember being quite tentative about the whole experience, but also excited to be a part of something larger than myself.
First, I would tell myself to breathe. The full-time staff at ALLARM are the most accommodating and accepting people, and have made sure that I have felt properly knowledgeable and prepared for any task or event that I have participated in. I would tell myself to lean into that discomfort, as many of the events that I have enjoyed the most were the most outside of my comfort zone. The most memorable of these was an eleven hour round trip to Erie, Pennsylvania, with Director Julie Vastine, to drop off equipment after only working at ALLARM for a month. If I had known just how important this experience and this adventure would be for my perception of the community science field, of the capacity-building role that ALLARM plays, and of my own personal interests, then any nervousness would have melted away into excitement.
Building the needed skill set took some hard work, but after spending the summer as one of ALLARM’s Summer watershed coordinators, this goal quickly became a reality. Rather than working up to ten hours per week, I was working thirty-five, and with that increased time, I had the chance to wear many different hats. Of these opportunities, some highlights that come to mind include testing the water quality of the LeTort Spring Run in our quality control laboratory, educating middle schoolers about our local waterways, and conducting research that was personally interesting to me. Some of these new experiences helped me fine-tune my plans after graduation as well. Field experience testing a restoration protocol that ALLARM has worked on for years pushed me to research how water policy is implemented on a local level, which in turn encouraged me to apply to graduate school for an MPA in Environmental Policy. If I could tell my younger self to apply for that summertime position, I would do so in a heartbeat, as that summer helped broaden my experiences at ALLARM and influence my future career goals.
As for managing time between ALLARM and academic coursework, that has been tough and will continue to be tough! I would tell my younger self the opportunities that ALLARM has provided me have been leagues beyond worth the time commitment, and that the practice managing my time will surely be helpful after I graduate, and I need to balance graduate school with part-time internships.
My final point for a first-semester Junior year Nick Bradbury would be to build and enjoy the relationships created with fellow ALLARMies and the full-time staff. ALLARM has such a unique and welcoming workplace atmosphere and culture, that diving into that aspect headfirst will be the most rewarding day in and day out. I would tell myself that for the next two years of my life, no matter how down I am or behind I am in my classes, a work shift at ALLARM will leave me feeling proud of myself and supported by my peers. No reason to be nervous Nick, you’re about to have the work experience that others could only dream of!
