Black History Month- Mariah McGhee

"What I loved best was the amazing individuals I got to work with daily. It was so easy to show up, be a part of a group who loved to work outside, and turn all the problems we were requested to fix into solved ones. It was such an amazing experience to have learned through my own working hands as well as actually being in the field and being able to problem-solve/implement changes that benefit the environment based on the situation at hand."
​- Mariah McGhee, YCI Participant

Mariah McGhee grew up in Kansas City, Missouri and always enjoyed being outside and in nature. Once she entered the University of Missouri-Columbia, she was exposed to various ecosystems and environments, propelling her interest and passion for nature. She harnessed her passion for the outdoors and used it to earn her Bachelor’s Degree in Natural Resource Management with an emphasis on Forestry and a minor in Soils.

During college, Mariah had various field experiences and gained many skills, including tree identification, invasive species identification/removal, soil testing, forest management plans, and a lot of Excel datasheet work. Through these experiences, she developed skills that fell right in line with GEM Environmental’s Youth Conservation Internship opportunity. When she learned about GEM’s mission and vision, she applied immediately! With her academic and professional background, GEM was happy to have her become one of our first youth conservation interns.

Mariah worked as a GEM Environmental maintenance intern for The Bureau of Land Management at the Phoenix District Office for 16 weeks. Her specific focus was repairing and restoring parts of the desert. The desert environment was new for Mariah, but she took to the experience like a duck in water! Her work ethic and previously learned skills allowed her to transition into the internship role smoothly. Additionally, the role encouraged her to explore her creativity, problem-solving skills, working with available materials and resources, and so much more. It allowed her to appreciate being a part of STEM education and helped secure her passion for her field.

This experience instilled confidence in Mariah. In the future, Mariah believes this experience will allow her to be an even better advocate, employee, and receptive learner in this line of work, which in turn, will allow her to be a better advocate for the environment. Mariah cited this internship as, “one of the best experiences ever,” and mentioned that one of the most valuable aspects of this experience was meeting field experts who shared the knowledge they have acquired over their many years in the natural restoration field. 

Mariah shared, “Being an African American female scientist and a first-generation student, my goal is to help diversify environmental studies and advocate for this topic to be systematically taught.” She hopes to implement the topic of Environmental Sciences in school education curriculums. This will allow future students to not only know the importance of our environment, and what has been done for many years to allow us to have these beautiful pristine lands, but also to share that working in an environmental field is an attainable option with plentiful employment opportunities.

To learn more about how you can be a part of GEM Environmental, click this link to learn about our available positions!