Life in Color: Interning at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens

When deciding what I wanted to do the summer before entering my senior of college, I was open to the possibilities. I kept my eyes peeled for the Career Center’s job postings at Colby College, and one day, I saw that Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens was coming to Colby to recruit for a “Volunteer Coordinator Internship.” Perfect, I thought. I had visited the Gardens two summers ago and feelings of awe and tranquility still reverberated in my memory from the experience.

I stopped by at the table in the Student Center in my hour between classes and talked with my future supervisor, Amanda Russell, Manager of Volunteer & Visitor Services at the Gardens. I saw potential in this internship, a way to gain real-world experience by combining my skills in Volunteer Management with my studies in Environmental Science.

Working at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens is always exciting and has been a true learning experience. I interact with staff, volunteers, and visitors daily. Volunteer Management is not always problem-free and is surprisingly fast-paced, so I have learned that fluency in every aspect of volunteering is critical to management. In addition, I have had the experience of working outside my professional realm— leading tours as a trained Docent, filling in at the admissions desk, and working with the Gardens Gift Shop on managing inventory and creating displays on the floor. On the rare occasion that there has been down-time, there are beautiful gardens waiting outside, ready to be explored and studied.

I definitely feel like I have had a complete learning experience here at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, and hope to be back for another season!

Amanda Lavigueur
2012 Volunteer Coordinator Assistant Intern
Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens