Although I grew up in Seattle, I never truly took the opportunity to experience all that your wonderful city has to offer.

For the greater part of this year, I have been attending The George Washington University in the other Washington. During this past summer, I took part in the Recycle Corps Internship with Waste Management.

The internship exposed me to many people and sites in Federal Way. What a great city! This year, Waste Management had 10 collegiate interns, hailing from colleges all over the country. We all worked hard to educate residents around Puget Sound about recycling.

In Federal Way, our entire team went to apartment complexes to distribute recycling information and talk to residents about the importance of recycling. In addition, I was asked to staff the city’s Red, White and Blues Festival. It was a pleasure to celebrate the Fourth of July with the residents of Federal Way.

What a patriotic group of citizens! I enjoyed the vibrant and passionate citizens that I spoke to on that day. For example, we had a visitor to our Waste Management education tent named Neil who answered every recycling question we had.

His interest in recycling and taking care of our natural resources inspired me to persevere through very hot summer days. Truly, an enriching experience that will stick with me as I continue in my academic and professional journey. Thank you Federal Way!

Olivia Rhodes, Waste Management intern