Life After GEM: By Kassie Henrikson, Former Program Coordinator

One of my favorite adventures since leaving GEM was working as an Interpretive Park Ranger at the Indiana Dunes National Park. The park has always been a special place to me, and I would hike there often during my college years when I lived only twenty minutes away. When the park was designated a national park in 2019, it became a goal of mine to work there, so I was thrilled to have this opportunity. My favorite experience was leading ranger programs at Pinhook Bog, the only true bog in Indiana and a refuge for rare orchids and carnivorous plants.

​Kassie by the Indiana Dunes National Park sign.

As my seasonal position with the Dunes was coming to a close, I found an opportunity at the Morton Arboretum. As a plant lover, being paid to teach people about plants was an easy decision. During my year there, I led school field trips and week-long summer camp programs. The Morton Arboretum is a world renowned arboretum, and the leadership team for the education department is amazing. I was able to learn so much from them and really honed my skills as an educator. I especially loved leading summer camp programs because I was able to take more creative liberties with my programs and spend more time getting to know the campers during our week together.

Kassie with some of some of her campers at the Morton Arboretum.

Most recently, I started working for the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County as a Wildlife Interpreter, where I am based out of our wildlife rehabilitation center. I still teach students and the public about natural history, but with a stronger focus on local wildlife and how to reduce negative human-wildlife interactions. I occasionally help take care of our non-releasable animals that live on site, which includes raccoons, raptors, and a bobcat, and have helped release rehabilitated animals, such as opossums, doves, squirrels, and even a sandhill crane. We are currently in the process of building a new visitor center, so I've had the unique opportunity to help design the permanent displays for the new center. I'm really excited to see this project come to fruition at the end of this year. One adventure I had in this position was helping one of the staff ecologists locate endangered Blanding's turtles. We donned waders and trudged through a marsh with cattails over eight feet tall in water up to our waists. We used satellite telemetry to locate female turtles who were due to have their trackers replaced. The ecologists collect eggs from the females in the spring to temporarily raise the young turtles, giving them a headstart that significantly reduces their predation rates

Kassie holding an endangered Blanding's turtle!

My experience at GEM set a foundation that got me to where I am now, and I love seeing my skills grow and build on each other with each new step in my career. I feel really lucky to have had each of these opportunities, and I'm especially grateful for all of the mentors I've had along the way who have trained, encouraged, and guided me throughout this process. My current goals are to complete my Master of Science in Conservation Education at Mississippi State University by May 2025 and to continue to teach students and the public about natural history and wildlife. My long-term goal is to move into a management position where I can train and mentor early-career interpreters, so that I can support others as my many mentors have supported me.

Join the GEM Corps team by checking out our available positions at:
https://www.gemenvironmental.org/hiring.html