Beyond the Books: Environmental Studies and Anthropology Major Recognizes Importance of Volunteering With Outdoor Campus Internship

Sammie Kross '25, is an environmental studies and anthropology double major from Rapid City, South Dakota. This summer, Kross is interning at The Outdoor Campus with South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks (GFP) in Sioux Falls, where she wears many hats. She handles a variety of duties, including managing volunteers, photographing events, designing social media content and assisting with outdoor classes.

Q: What extracurricular activities are you involved in?

A: AU Faith & Spiritual Life, Nancy Dickinson Writing Center, AU Percussion Ensemble and Augie Thrift

Q: What are your career goals/aspirations?

A: Frankly, my career goals are a bit all over the place. From what I have pinned down now, I have hopes to attend seminary and go through pastoral care training or pursue museum studies in graduate school and work in a museum setting.

Q: Where or how did you hear about Augustana?

A: My first exposure to Augustana was when I attended Faith Fest, Augustana's annual middle school faith-based retreat, in 2016 as a seventh grader. I had such a blast at the retreat that I made sure to keep Augustana in mind for my future college plans. Just last spring, I was the co-coordinator for Faith Fest in January 2024 - quite an amazing full-circle moment if you ask me.

Q: What is/are the reason(s) you chose to come to Augustana?

A: Since middle school, I was aware of Augustana's commitment to a liberal arts higher education and the Lutheran faith. As a high school student, I wanted to attend a university that would challenge me academically, support me spiritually and comfort me communally. From what I gathered during my various visits to campus, Augustana felt like the perfect fit.

Q: What will your job duties include?

A: My job title is volunteer coordinator intern, which means my main duties include ensuring there are volunteers for classes, programs and activities, filling in volunteer openings, taking care of and accommodating volunteers, interviewing and orienting new volunteers, photographing Outdoor Campus events, volunteers and classes, as well as planning volunteer appreciation events. My job may seem straightforward, but I have many diverse tasks to complete on a daily basis. From running errands to buying more crickets to feed our educational amphibians to weeding the pollinator garden alongside volunteers, I have learned that a volunteer coordinator wears many hats and fulfills many duties. Although I am mainly associated with the robust volunteer program at The Outdoor Campus, I also design social media posts/advertisements for the campus and help the naturalist interns with leading classes related to fishing, kayaking, canoeing, and shooting archery and BB guns.

Q: How did you get the internship? Did anyone help you?

A: I worked for GFP doing trail maintenance in the Black Hills (South Dakota) the summer prior, so I knew I wanted to work for GFP again but in Sioux Falls. Fortunately, I discovered internship openings at The Outdoor Campus and made sure to apply for as many as I could. I decided to go with the volunteer coordinator internship because it was harmonious with my interests: working with people, aiding outdoor educational classes, and coordinating volunteer activities and events.

Q: What do you like most about your internship?

A: Nothing is better than working with the volunteers at The Outdoor Campus. The volunteer program is intergenerational, diverse and full of knowledgeable, dedicated, excited and all around lovely people. Because a good chunk of our educational classes rely on extra help, I get the chance to work with all ages of volunteers who are really invested and passionate about the outdoors and teaching others about outdoor conservation and recreation. I am constantly learning from our volunteers, many of whom are either young middle schoolers or retired folks. They continually share their passions and expertise with me, whether it be a particularly effective baiting technique or insight on where to purchase the best kayaks. I cannot help but feel that our volunteers' achievements, memories and successes are my own because the volunteer program at The Outdoor Campus is a truly tight-knit, supportive community. Furthermore, I love that I play a caring role for the volunteers. It's beyond rewarding to provide meals and hydration to the volunteers, especially on a hot summer day or expose young people to their first experiences in the professional world by interviewing them to be a volunteer. And, when prospective volunteers come into The Outdoor Campus looking for ways to spend their retirement outside, I feel I am fortunate enough to introduce them to the wonders of helping participants bait their first hook or paddle their first canoe.

A close second is the collaboration and teamwork between the interns. The Outdoor Campus has 11 interns this summer, which means I work alongside 10 other college students who have the same interests and values as me. So although my position involves a lot of individual work, I also get several opportunities to collaborate with others. From asking for advice, sharing knowledge, bonding over memories and pushing creativity, I have wholeheartedly enjoyed the intern team I have worked with this summer.

Q: What do you hope to learn/gain from the internship?

A: I hope to gain insight on what it means to inspire, appreciate and accommodate volunteerism. We often see volunteerism as a wholly selfless, sacrificial and generous act, which it is, but I have learned from my internship that volunteers should never go uncompensated or unrewarded. Volunteers who step into opportunities that align with their interests, passions and values are likely to stick around because they want to, not because they feel an external obligation. As a volunteer coordinator, my position is to create such a space that creates, nurtures and sustains opportunities that volunteers can glean those unconventional rewards and fulfillment from. Although volunteers go unpaid, they are compensated through other forms of currency - learning, connection, fellowship, satisfaction, community and joy. As someone who is interested in ministry work, I want the lessons I have learned about volunteerism to guide me in administering pastoral care and creating congregational community and service.

Q: Why is experiential learning so important to you in your future endeavors?

A: I learn best from experimentation and experiences. For so long, my academic endeavors have been hardened by my sense of personal perfectionism, but I think experiential learning opportunities like this internship have helped me step away from perfection and into the beauty of what is messy and long term. My internship, for instance, places me in a short-term position that deals with long-term goals and processes. Although I will walk away from this internship once fall begins, I know that the volunteer program at The Outdoor Campus will continue to thrive and grow after I am gone. Thus, what I do at The Outdoor Campus, the seeds I plant, are only small puzzle pieces to the bigger picture of the program's mission. Knowing this helps me to take time to value, appreciate and improve my day-to-day duties as a volunteer coordinator intern. I work with people who will either continue to volunteer at The Outdoor Campus or who might taper off when their lives lead them in other directions. Thus, my internship teaches me what it is like to work with a dynamic group of people who share similar goals and passions but do not have the same ties and bonds to the volunteer program as I would or my supervisor. This kind of learning that I am gaining from this experience will aid me significantly if I choose to go forward in ministry or museum work. Even if I take an entirely different route with my career goals, I know that I leave this internship with important lessons on time management, interpersonal communication and community building.

Q: How important is building relationships/connections?

A: By far, relationship building is the most important element of my position. One of the goals of the volunteer program is to maintain volunteers who feel committed to The Outdoor Campus. Part of my job, thus, is to build strong and sustainable relationships with the volunteers so they feel comfortable, valued and appreciated. Volunteers give up much of their time and energy to be at The Outdoor Campus, but they never go unappreciated, unnoticed or unknown. As a volunteer coordinator intern, I take time to connect and learn more about the volunteers. I seek to know what makes them want to volunteer at The Outdoor Campus, why they enjoy the outdoors, what their goals are, what their experiences have been and how they can achieve some of their aspirations through volunteering. When relationships form, community forms. Although the campus' mission and classes are a main reason why volunteers enjoy working at The Outdoor Campus, I also suspect that the community that persists in the volunteer program is what encourages volunteers to stay. However, what is even more important about relationship building within The Outdoor Campus is the extension of those connections to the wider Sioux Falls community. Yes, The Outdoor Campus creates its own microcosm of relationships and communities, but it is also only a branch of the wider Sioux Falls area. Therefore, not only are connections between staff, volunteers and class participants pertinent to The Outdoor Campus, but connections that go beyond the campus grounds are even more so.

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