This month’s Critter Corner focuses on some extra special folks who have helped us care for 750+ critters this season. 👏
We’re highlighting our summer student interns! ❤️
Training the Next Generation of Conservationists
At RWS, education is a core tenet of our mission. Teaching is woven into everything we do — not just for the public, but for the next generation of conservationists. Each year, our paid summer internship program provides outstanding students with the chance to learn the realities of wildlife rehabilitation firsthand.
Our program is not your average summer internship! There’s no busy work, no long hours spent idling at a desk, and no plugging numbers into spreadsheets all day. ❌
Wildlife rehabilitation is demanding, detailed, and deeply hands-on work, and we ensure our summer interns get to experience every part of it. 💪 They learn how to hand-feed baby mammals and birds, provide basic first aid, prep species-specific diets and enclosures, design enrichment, practice record-keeping, coordinate with the public, train our education ambassadors, and learn every other step of patient care from rescue through the thrill of release.
Comprehensive training like this is critical. Any semblance of an ecologically secure future depends on having skilled, passionate people ready to meet the needs of wild animals and their habitats. 🌳
Our internship program is a Sanctuary staple and vital to our ability to care for so many critters in need. Every winter, we routinely accept over 115 internship applications for just three full-time summer roles. This year, though, we also welcomed two part-time interns aboard for the first time! These local students accentuated their summer work experiences with 16 hours at the Sanctuary each week. 👏
In total, we were fortunate to mentor five stellar students this year who gave their all to the hundreds of patients in our care this summer. Learn more about our fabulous interns and their favorite RWS experiences below. 👇
🐾 Julianne 🐾
A Conservation Biology major at the University of Mary Washington, Julianne fell in love with opossums this summer. In her words, “They’re so cute, and their pouch is awesome.” She also loved the rare chance to work with species you typically don’t get to see up close otherwise:
“You see squirrels, you know, but [working with] hawks has been one of the cooler things I’ve ever gotten to do!”
When she wasn’t learning the wildlife rehabilitation ropes at the Sanctuary, Julianne explored her other passions: hiking, camping, flipping logs to look for salamanders, and sewing. She made a lampshade out of a relative’s sari this summer, a testament to her crafting excellence. 🧵
Julianne left her summer at RWS more confident than ever in her career path, saying that her internship confirmed: “I’m doing the right thing with my life!” 🥲
🦇 Olivia L. 🦇
Olivia joined us from Iowa State University, where she studies Animal Ecology. Her favorite species she worked with at RWS was Big Brown Bats. She shared, “They get such a bad rap, but they’re so cute and fuzzy.” One of her most memorable moments was her first wildlife release:
“I’ve never worked with wildlife that could be released before. Getting to see them have a chance at a wild life was really special.”
Her internship also helped her gain a new perspective: “I’ve only worked with exotic animals before, where having a personal connection [to the animal] is important. Having to switch that around completely and do the opposite has been a good tool to build up, and being able to do both is fun!” 🛠️
While Olivia was here, she also explored Virginia’s mountains and museums, checked out Richmond’s art scene, and kindly introduced our staff to Midwestern staples like Scotcheroos. Next, Olivia’s heading back to complete her degree and plans to apply to veterinary school afterwards. 💪
🦊 Will 🦊
A Biology major at the University of Virginia, Will couldn’t pick just one favorite species he worked with…though he admitted the skunks were “pretty stinkin’ cute.” He loved that no two shifts at the Sanctuary were the same:
“I feel like every time I showed up, there was a new creature I hadn’t gotten to work with yet. Every day was a new learning experience!”
Will had a summer full of animal care, in fact. He worked vet assistant roles at both Monticello Animal Hospital and Greenbrier Emergency Animal Hospital. 🏥 Combined with his RWS internship, Will gained crucial domestic animal and wildlife care skills and strengthened his resolve to pursue veterinary school:
“I thought I knew a lot more about wildlife, and I learned how little I do know. I’m excited to keep learning! I plan on attending veterinary school, hopefully going into practice with exotics or wildlife.”
When he’s not helping animals in our community, you might bump into Will around Charlottesville while he’s out trail running, playing electric guitar, enjoying a coffee at Grit, and singing in his a cappella group at UVA. 🎤
🐦 Medha 🐦
A fellow University of Virginia student majoring in Biology, Medha’s internship was her first experience working directly with animals! 😁 She loved caring for baby opossums and working with the many woodpecker patients we admitted this season. Beyond that, this summer solidified her career direction:
“[My internship] made me realize that I definitely want to pursue something like this as a career. I feel like I’ve been able to apply a lot of ecology I’ve learned in school into a real world context here. Working with animals outside of a lab feels way more interesting, and I can actually see myself doing it.”
When she wasn’t at RWS, Medha worked in a computational statistics lab at UVA analyzing satellite data on air pollution, blending her love for ecology with data science. A Crozet native in between semesters at UVA, Medha can be spotted hiking, playing tennis, and making beautiful art. In terms of Medha’s next steps, she shared, “I was debating if I really wanted to [go to veterinary school], but now I definitely feel like I know more about what I like. In the future, I can see myself working with animals and doing something in wildlife rehab!” 👏
On her last day of her internship last week, Medha gifted our staff with four incredible paintings of some of her favorite critters. We’re so excited to hang them in our team office. Check them out below! ⬇️
🐍 Olivia C. 🐍
A Sociology and Anthropology major at St. Olaf College, Olivia loved caring for the “47,000 opossums” we admitted this season, by her estimate. 😆 (The real number is 216 opossums, but it sure has felt like 47,000!)
She also enjoyed working with our chittering Chimney Swift patients because “they’re always so excited to see you at feeding time.” What struck Olivia the most, though, was how her RWS internship supported her future path:
“One of the standout things I’ve really enjoyed, that I wasn’t necessarily expecting, is when people come in and I get to watch them learn about what we do here and the animals we take care of. Watching their faces light up and get so excited about conservation is so cool. I want to go into conservation education and research, so I loved watching it in action. This summer has been nothing but affirming.“
She also leaves with a new understanding of wildlife rehabilitation: “It’s not cuddling cute animals. You have to show up every day with consistent energy. It’s a lot!” In her downtime, Olivia crocheted, enjoyed Trager Brothers Coffee, worked on her yoga teaching certification, hiked around Nelson County, and watched ’90s sci-fi shows. After graduating from St. Olaf this December, she hopes to pursue graduate studies in environmental social science. 💪
Summer Interns: Wrapping Up the Season
A common thread between all of our summer interns? Releasing patients was a highlight. 🎉
We ensure that every student has the opportunity to attend at least one patient release during their internship. Watch Will and Olivia C. help release some Red-shouldered Hawks! ⬇️
Our internship program and releases like these are only possible thanks to you! If you’d like to support our continued educational and training initiatives for students like these, we invite you to donate to RWS today. ⬇️
Thank you for reading this month’s Critter Corner and learning more about the passionate, talented young folks who helped us care for so many critters, all summer long. 💕
We are so excited to see what the future holds for our summer interns, though they’ll always have a home to come back to at RWS! 🏠
August 29, 2025
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