My Park Story: Kelsey Brandt

Kelsey takes a picture with the Cherry Blossoms at sunset by the Tidal Basin in Washington, DC

Photo courtesy of Kelsey Brandt

When I was a kid, I spent many evenings as an outdoor explorer. My family did not have cable television, so we found joy in creating ways to have fun in the open-air. Some of my earliest memories are of my siblings and me trampling through the brush in the woods behind my house, or around the neighborhood where we created trails and made forts. It soon became a safe space for many of the kids in my neighborhood. Every afternoon we would drop our bookbags in the living room and head out to the woods until dinner time, where we pretended we were stranded and had to live off of what we could find around us.

I did not grow up near many national parks, so the National Park Service was not something I became super familiar with until I started my position as a Student Conservation Association digital communications intern for the National Park Service Youth and Young Adult Programs Division. I visited Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park as a child, but I do not think I knew the significance of it until I was much older. I remember my first time on a boat was when we took the short ride over to Fort Sumter. I stepped off into the old ruins of the fort, and it felt like I was in another world.

Kelsey stands with other NPS staff and the director of the National Park Service, Charles F. “Chuck” Sams III, in front of the U.S. Department of the Interior building

Photo Courtesy of Jasmine Nelson

I graduated from Charleston Southern University in December of 2023 with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and a minor in Business Administration. Amid finals and graduation, I began looking for a position where I could continue my love for writing. That is when I came across this position for a digital communications internship. I have a passion for working with youth, stemming from a previous job I had at a school, as well as a background in writing and social media. This position looked like everything I am interested in, and I knew it was an opportunity I should not give up the chance to apply for. Much of the work that I do involves social media. Before this position, I did have some experience with posting on social media, but I did not know much about the logistics of it. Social media takes a significant amount of work (in a rewarding way), and I do not think it gets the appreciation it deserves sometimes. I have had the privilege of running the social media accounts for @NPSYouth this year, and I have curated posts almost every single day, sometimes multiple times a day. Generation Z and Generation Alpha have grown up with social media, so I think it is influential to use it to spread the importance of conservation, especially relating to being in the outdoors and to our youth and young adults in parks.

E-gram graphics that Kelsey made with words of gratitude and thanks to share with interns and intern supervisors

Graphics designed by Kelsey Brandt for NPS

One of my favorite experiences from this internship was creating a set of e-grams (graphics) for interns and writing spotlight articles. There are a set of e-grams that are usually made each year for Public Service Recognition Week for National Park Service employees, and I thought it would be beneficial to have a set for interns to acknowledge all the hard work that they do for the National Park Service. The e-grams have phrases on them like, “Thank You for Being a Trailblazer in Conservation,” and “Thank You for Bringing History Back Into the Spotlight!”

Another unique aspect of this internship has been the opportunity to meet the National Park Service staff, interns, volunteers, and partners we work with at national park sites. This included Rocky Mountain National Park, Congaree National Park, National Mall and Memorial Parks, Charles Pinckney National Historic Site, and Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park. I had the chance to accompany interns, observe them in action, and witness park rangers giving tours and sharing the history and culture of the parks for visitors. These visits provided a cool opportunity to not only experience parks from both a visitor’s and an intern’s perspective, but also to have fun while teaching me the importance of service. I have grown my leadership skills tremendously, and it has been so inspiring to be able to participate alongside other interns. I also enjoy serving local communities and interacting with the people who shape them. People are a big part of the National Park Service and sharing their stories is what matters most. It has been such a privilege to write articles about my visits, and interview interns about the importance of protecting our environment and the preservation of our natural and cultural resources.

I have enjoyed this internship so much and I am truly grateful to the wonderful Youth and Young Adult Programs team for supporting me along the way. I have had so many opportunities for growth, from leadership trainings to leadership conferences like The Corps Network Conference and the Annual Career and Leadership workshop in Washington, DC. At The Corps Network Conference, I had the opportunity to network with partner organizations like the National Park Foundation, and other U.S. Department of Interior agencies like the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

This experience taught me that networking is a crucial tool for professional growth. There are so many people out there who are willing to help in so many different areas, and there will always be people out there willing to share their wisdom with you. I encourage networking in any internship role to gain knowledge and tools that can help to enhance your work. The other interns have all been in national park sites doing work in a variety of fields like biology, interpretation, and traffic monitoring. It has been inspiring to see internships from a different perspective, since I do not regularly get to be in a park.

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