For USF College of Arts and Sciences senior Evalyse Sanabria, landing an internship with the Environmental Protection Commission (EPC) of Hillsborough County was just what she was looking for to open the door to her future career aspirations.
Sanabria, an environmental science and policy student, is also earning her minor in urban studies in the School of Public Affairs.
She said she joined the urban studies minor program for the additional insight it would provide regarding how cities evolve and form—something she said compliments her major.
“Cities and the way that they take form have always interested me, especially the ways that the form of a city influences its sociology and vice versa. I also really believe that improving and increasing sustainable practices within the urban planning field is so important and I wanted to learn more about the field to be able to use my knowledge of the environment to help contribute to this goal,” she explained.
Evalyse Sanabria is minoring in the School of Public Affairs urban studies program. (Photo courtesy of Evalyse Sanabria)
While searching for internship opportunities focused on geographic information systems (GIS), she found the opportunity to enhance her GIS skills with the EPC of Hillsborough County.
“I am a GIS intern, and my main job is working with GIS software (specifically ArcGIS Pro) to digitize wetland permits from their paper aerials. My work is helping them in their initiative to go paperless. While doing this I also have the opportunity to shadow the other divisions and their work,” she said.
The internship experience, which began in January and concludes at the end of April, has given Sanabria the opportunity to take the knowledge she has learned while earning her urban studies minor and apply it to real-life situations.
“The classes that I’ve taken as a part of the urban studies minor have enhanced my understanding of the administrative side of cities and the way that they’re organized. This preliminary knowledge allowed me to more deeply understand the practical concepts present within my internship and to pick up these concepts quickly,” she said.
She hopes to start her career post-graduation working in a GIS-related position.
“Since my major is environmental science, I have thoroughly enjoyed learning how to integrate city planning with sustainable practices. I think now more than ever, sustainable practices need to be incorporated into everything that we do, so I hope to use my knowledge to further this goal,” she said.
Learn more about minoring in urban studies.