Meet our summer intern, McKayla

I have been blessed to call many different places my home. For most of my life, I lived in Marietta, Georgia. Georgia is one of my favorite states, and I think it is the most beautiful one I have lived in. When I was fifteen, I moved to a small town in Northern Minnesota. I soon learned that Minnesota has many amazing lakes. When I was seventeen, I moved to Utah. I fell in love with its mountains. A year later I moved to Cedar City, Utah and started attending Southern Utah University. While living in Cedar City, I was able to hike a lot. Southern Utah is known for its red rock mountains which are breathtaking. 

One of the first things that I noticed after moving to Cedar City was the lack of recycling. By lack of I mean that there was basically nothing. I did some research and soon learned that the city had canceled the recycling program a few years prior. Not enough people were participating in it, and it became too expensive. I did a research project on recycling in Cedar City and the hardships of small town recycling. I included ways to combat those hardships and the importance of recycling. I presented my ideas to the Mayor. Then, a few students and I worked on another project to raise awareness for the importance of recycling in our community. We created a pamphlet and posted it to Cedar City facebook pages. So far not much has come from it, but I hope for positive change in the future! 

I started my freshmen year with 52 credits, and began studying Political Science and Sustainable Studies. I interned for Needs Beyond Medicine, which is a relief program that provides grants for cancer patients to pay for their non medical expenses. I learned a lot of great things as an intern such as how to plan and host fundraising events, advertise effectively to the community, and present to a group of people. I am transferring to Hawaii Pacific University in the fall to pursue my passion and study Marine Affairs. I have always loved the ocean. I am excited to study oceans further and learn how to preserve and protect them.