UC student balances online classes, internships outdoors
Environmental studies gives Sydney Mentrup national park experience
By Bryn Dippold
Sydney Mentrup, a senior University of Cincinnati environmental studies student, finished up her sixth internship with the National Park Service last September.
The program, which lasted over the summer months, brought her to Glacier National Park in Montana, about 2,000 miles from her hometown of Cincinnati. The palatial mountains, wildlife and crystal blue skies set the scene as she worked on site in Glacier and on completing her last classes in UC’s College of Arts & Sciences.
Across the country, there are 423 national park sites, spanning nearly all 50 states, and American territories such as Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Guam. Mentrup has visited almost 250 of these parks and sites. As a student at Reading High School, Mentrup became involved with philanthropy work and community outreach, and volunteered at Newport Aquarium in Newport, Kentucky.
UC environmental studies student Sydney Mentrup
“I learned I really had a passion for environmental education and community work in general,” Mentrup says of her time at the aquarium. “I kind of started steering my professional career toward that.”
UC and the environmental studies program provided Mentrup with the chance to apply for and complete NPS programs, and take advantage of the university’s experiential learning opportunities and flexible curriculum.
Mentrup first joined NPS in 2016 after her first year at UC. “I wanted to do field work or more professional experience than just learning in a classroom to make sure this was something I actually wanted to do,” she says.
In her first NPS internship, at the Timucuan Ecological & Historic Preserve in Jacksonville, Florida, Mentrup took part in community outreach, partnership work, and environmental education. “It opened the door to other opportunities that I was able to do while still doing my UC classes online,” she says.
Since her first NPS job in 2016, Mentrup has worked at five additional NPS parks and sites, including the Colonial National Historic Park in Jamestown and Yorktown, Virginia; the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in San Francisco; the Petroglyph National Monument in New Mexico; the National Park Service Directorate in Washington D.C., and most recently, Glacier National Park in Montana.
Overlook in Glacier National Park. Credit/Syndey Mentrup
Most of these programs lasted a year, with some lasting six months and the Glacier program lasting three months over the summer 2021 season.
While completing these programs, Mentrup remained a UC student, taking classes online. She began with general education courses, returning to campus for a semester if she had a required in-person class, such as chemistry.
Mentrup says one of the benefits of COVID-19 was online classes. “It gave me the opportunity to do a lot of things that I would not have had the ability to do online, which helped me complete my degree faster,” she says.
Professor and director of the environmental studies program, Susanna Tong, was one of the most supportive and engaging professors within the program, Mentrup says. “I felt my success was always a priority and valued the care and attention she put into every class I had with her,” Mentrup says.
UC environmental studies professor Susanna Tong
When they met, Tong said, she recognized Mentrup's professional drive and focus.
“She is very motivated with the work she’s doing,” Tong says. “She knows how to get there. She just opens herself up to different opportunities. What makes her a successful environmental studies student? I think it’s all of her personality traits and work ethic because she’s very passionate about nature, the outside and natural landscapes.”
Mentrup credits her UC professors for being understanding of her situation and professional goals.
“I introduced myself, told them I work for the National Park Service, and explained that I lived in a place that didn’t have Wi-Fi,” she says.
“I would drive two hours to the nearest Starbucks and sit for the whole day to do my homework and answer emails. They’ve been so understanding and supportive of my success that I am proud to be a Bearcat.”
Featured image at top: UC environmental studies student Syndey Mentrup in Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park. Photo/Provided
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