International Parks Program

Nanami Takagi, International Intern
Devil's Postpile National Monument

Since 2007, the SCA International Parks Program has connected English-speaking Japanese college students with unforgettable educational internships in America's National Parks.

International interns become part of the NPS mission by returning to their home country with new conservation skills and awareness that they've gained through direct service in National Parks.

Program Benefits

• Contributes to the NPS international mission
• Helps meet diversity-in-workforce goals
• Provides park staff in-depth intercultural experiences with motivated young people
• Interns are available at no cost to your site

"Shiori never shied away from any challenge before her. She excelled through interpretive training and dug in to her program and park research with passion. Shiori has helped meet the mission of the NPS." - Carl Brenner, Supervisor, Pinnacles National Monument, evaluating a 2009 International Parks Program participant

What does the site provide?

Parks provide housing as well as arrangements for travel to food shopping. (The University's policies prohibit its student from driving while abroad.)

Park staff provides supervision and a well-rounded experience. These students are seeking educational experiences during their service, so their internships should be designed to offer a broad understanding of park operations, where possible, as well as practical work.

What is the schedule?

The students serve for 8 or 9 weeks, beginning in late June.

Where have these international interns served?

• Carlsbad Caverns National Park
• Devil's Postpile National Monument
• Lassen Volcanic National Park
• Mount Rainier National Park
• North Cascades National Park
• Olympic National Park
• Pinnacles National Monument
• Yellowstone national Park
• Yosemite National Park

What positions have they filled?

• Visitor Services
• Resource Management
• Science
• Vegetation & Ecological Restoration
• Wildlife Biology
• Interpretation

What preparation will they have?

Students will be prepared for the NPS service with lectures and reading materials while still in Japan. Once they arrive in the U.S. they'll be given the three-day Orientation in NPS and SCA cultures and procedures.

Next steps

Please contact Emily Poore at epoore@thesca.org to learn more.