The Glen Lake Association’s (GLA) Watershed Science and Outreach Internship is an eight-week, hands-on learning experience designed for undergraduate students pursuing studies in environmental science, biology, conservation, or related fields. Interns engage directly in field research, environmental monitoring, community outreach, and communications that support the mission of the GLA.
This year, we are thrilled to welcome back Suha Augenstein as our 2025 Watershed Science and Outreach Intern.
Suha grew up spending summers on Glen Lake and brings a deep personal connection to this place. She currently works as a Certified Nursing Assistant at Grand Traverse Pavilions. In high school, she was a four-year varsity springboard diver for Traverse City West Senior High School and a YMCA national diver. She has been a volunteer USA springboard diving coach for the past ten years and will soon be a certified scuba diver. She holds an Associate of Science & Arts degree from Southwestern Michigan College and is currently pursuing an Associate of Digital Media Arts from Washtenaw Community College and a Bachelor of Arts in Communications / Conservation from Eastern Michigan University. Her dream job is to work for National Geographic as a wildlife conservation documentarian.
This summer, Suha is diving deep into watershed science. She assists with Hydrolab monitoring, collecting precise water quality measurements, deploying plankton nets in our deepest basins to study microscopic life, and contributing to our Annual Inlet Study. She’s also supporting our invasive species prevention work, snorkeling and capturing underwater footage to identify and document Eurasian watermilfoil and other threats. Beyond field science, Suha is helping with community outreach. She’s part of our Discovery Boat team and she’s contributing her digital media skills to photography, videography, and blog writing for the GLA.
This month, we’ll be sharing Suha’s journey through our new blog and social media series, Intern in the Field. In this series, you’ll hear directly from Suha as she reflects on what she’s learning, discovering, and experiencing in real time while working across the watershed.
Thank You to Our Internship Program Sponsors
Our internship program began in 2017 and is made possible by generous annual donations from Jim and Susan Dutmers, Tom and Monica Dutmers, and Bill and Rita Witler, in honor of their mothers, Patricia Johnson Dutmers and Elva Witler. We are so grateful for their support.