October 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 22

WE ARE PARKS AND RECREATION
An Intern's Journey From Job to Passion
By Naomi Betsill
W
hen I entered my junior year of high school, I had barely
heard of parks and recreation, much less considered it a
possible career choice. I wanted to be a veterinarian. I considered
farming. I thought about wildlife management. I
researched environmental conservation.
The idea of recreation centers,
programming and special events
were foreign concepts. My family
had never really participated
in county programs, so I lacked
a frame of reference. Of course,
I had seen the famous television
show, but everyone knows that television
exaggerates to gain viewers.
Serendipity led me to Henry County
(Georgia) Parks and Recreation.
My work-based learning instructor
told me about a job fair in my hometown.
Normally, it would not be a
problem for me to attend, but family
obligations prevented it. Seeing my
disappointment, my instructor went
Naomi Betsill turned an unexpected
internship opportunity into a career in
parks and recreation.
in my place. While there, she heard
about an environmental conservation
internship with Henry County.
I applied as soon as she told me
about the position. I threw veterinary
science, farming and wildlife
management out the window. I
was going to pursue environmental
conservation.
A Change of Plans
I got an interview within a week.
I was ecstatic; the interview went
great. Days went by and I waited
with bated breath, heart fluttering
whenever I checked my email.
When I finally received a response,
my hope collapsed. I did not get the
position.
My disappointment was so great
that I almost did not finish reading
the email. I wanted to sink into myself
and reevaluate my entire future.
Fortunately, I held the despair back
long enough to read the email's final
sentence: " I do have an intern
position that will open the first of
August. Are you interested? "
My hope rekindled in an instant.
Maybe I could still pursue my
dream. I replied with my affirmative
answer. Months later, I started
with Henry County Parks and Recreation,
my eyes set on working
with the U.S. Forest Service as a
conservationist.
Again, my dream was shortlived.
On day one, my supervisor
politely explained that I would not
be involved in conservation efforts.
Instead, I would be creating and facilitating
recreation programming,
helping with special events and
writing grants.
This was not the plan! I had
goals! I wanted an exciting outdoor
position in which I could use my
hands, not a boring office job. Little
did I know that I would never again
use " boring " to describe the park
and recreation field. Remember
my thoughts about the television
show? Turns out, the writers were
not far off the mark.
I spent my first day working with a
large team to coordinate and host a
countywide event. I stepped into the
organized chaos and got to work.
The team immediately embraced
me. I became a cog in a machine
22 Parks & Recreation | O CTOBER 2 0 2 4 | PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G
PHOTO COURTESY OF THOMAS WHITE, HENRY COUNTY (GEORGIA)
PARKS AND RECREATION
October 2024 – Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of October 2024 – Parks & Recreation
