A Conversation That Sparked An Internship

For Ohio Wesleyan University student Camille Mattox, the path to a summer internship opportunity didn’t come from any single class. It began with a conversation about strategies to find and engage in internship opportunities, opening the door to post graduate study and potential careers that incorporate social science and natural resource management.

For Camille this moment was the result of an initial presentation given by Dr. Brent Stoffle, an alumnus of Ohio Wesleyan in the Sociology and Anthropology Department and Principal Researcher at Applied Heritage and Resource Solutions. The seminar introduced students to the role of social science in natural resource management and the rationale for why the two are a natural fit.

For Camille, who is actively pursuing a double major in environmental science and anthropology, the lecture was more than informative -- it was affirming.

Camille stated that this was the first presentation she had ever attended that combined both environmental science and anthropology.

“With both of these as my majors, I was glad to hear about a career that balanced them,” said Camille.

That academic alignment shifted her perspective entirely. What once felt like a “safety net” of having a double major suddenly became a powerful combination with real-world application.

But it wasn’t just the presentation that made the difference. It was what happened next. Camille attended a smaller, more in-depth session, where she was able to ask specific questions and share her interest in finding an opportunity to combine her majors into an internship/research project.

“That meeting encouraged me to actively seek out field experience,” Camille explained. “Brent confirmed that summer would be a great time for it and that my combination of majors would suit programs in applied anthropology. That’s when I began my research with his guidance and leads.”

That single follow-up conversation became the catalyst for pursuing hands-on experience, ultimately leading to an internship through the AquEOUS Fellowship Program’s Intertidal Oyster Aquaculture Project at the University of Maine for the Summer of 2026.

Now, as Camille prepares to enter her summer internship, her academic journey is taking on new depth and clarity. While her environmental science background began with an interest in chemistry focused on water quality, soil systems, and plant communities. It was her later coursework in sociology and anthropology that provided her with a new viewpoint for future career opportunities.

Through this internship, Camille hopes to learn to engage with local communities and stakeholders regarding environmental issues, specifically focusing on their perspectives related to the potential impacts on their communities. Looking back, one lesson stands out above all leading up the internship opportunity: the power of showing up and following up.

“When someone encourages you to connect, it’s important to keep that momentum going,” she reflected. “Networking isn’t a one-time experience. If I had just attended the talk and stopped there, I could be in a completely different place right now.”

Applied Heritage and Resource Solutions, was co-founded by Dr. Stoffle and Dr. Richard Stoffle, to bridge applied expertise and practical governance to empower communities in shaping their futures. They are deeply committed to fostering the next generation of students in applied anthropology, heritage research and environmental management. They mentor students through undergraduate and post-graduate development and identify opportunities to apply classroom learning in real-world settings. This presentation is one of several focused efforts AHRS has completed this past year at colleges and universities throughout the United States and the Caribbean.