Introducing our Summer Intern: Sydney Mudgett

Hello, my name is Sydney Mudgett! I am from Broomfield, Colorado, and made my way here to Sioux Falls to go to school at Augustana University where I will be a senior in the Fall. I am studying mathematics with a minor in American Sign Language and I am on the track team. When I am not studying or training I like being outside, hanging out with friends, and thrifting. Something that may come as a surprise about me is that I competitively did Irish dance for ten years and I love to drink pickle juice! Something on my bucket list is to live in a van or tiny house across the country. When I was little I could not stick to a dream job; rock-star, actress, nail tech, makeup artist, and teacher. But now I hope to be the numbers side of an organization that helps animals. How I came across Friends with the Big Sioux River was through the grapevine actually! I want to work at a nonprofit after graduation and as the Vice President of Augie Green (the environmental club) I was looking for an internship that would give me an inside look at what I would be doing in the future. My math advisor referred me to a professor in the economics department which then led to the policy director and previous board member of FBSR - the rest is history! My favorite thing about my job is that I am exposed and responsible for a variety of things which make a nonprofit conservation group run. I get to see where I could potentially use my mathematics degree but also see the social media, marketing, outreach, and other parts! I also thought getting out of the office to get water samples was really fun as well! My favorite way to give back to the community is to educate. I feel when I show people how great of a time I have helping with water conservation then people are enticed by what I am doing and want to learn more about it! The natural world means to me something that is beautiful, wild, and needs to be respected. This planet we live on is so amazing that we need to make sure we are taking care of it and looking out for other species. In 5 years I see myself in Portland, San Francisco, Missoula, or Boulder using my critical thinking skills at a farm animal sanctuary. So excited to be a part of the FBSR team!