Hi friends of the Groundwork Center! My name is Alana Tartaro, and I’m going to be interning here at the Groundwork Center for the next eight weeks. I’m currently a rising junior at Haverford College in the Philadelphia area of Pennsylvania, but I’m originally from northern New Jersey. At Haverford I’m a newly declared psychology major with an environmental studies minor. When I’m not in class, I’m usually running around campus to a variety of clubs and committees. The activities I’m most engaged in are training volunteers for the first year orientation program, singing and contra dancing with Haverford’s Folk Club, and working with two of Haverford’s many environmental clubs to improve on-campus sustainability and student awareness of environmental issues. 

My interest in environmental issues is what initially drew me towards this internship. This summer I knew I wanted to be able to participate in the environmental movement in some way shape or form. So, when this internship came along it seemed like an excellent opportunity. While I’m here I’ll primarily be working on transportation issues and the “Oil and Water Don’t Mix” campaign. For the most part I’ll be doing anything and everything I can to be useful around the office, but I might also spend some time here and there blogging about my experience.

This is my first time in Michigan and I’m looking forward to discovering as much as I can about this gorgeous area. So, in addition to office work, I plan to take to the sidewalks, the bike paths and the bus routes to explore all that Traverse City and the surrounding areas have to offer.