Meet Trailnet’s newest interns

Trailnet is honored to offer enriching internships every year that allow students to gain experience building a better, more connected St. Louis. Trailnet interns come from dynamic backgrounds and are immediately plugged in to our exciting work. This month we welcome Project Assistant Imani Holmes, Planning Intern Alexis Vidaurreta, and Policy and Advocacy Intern Rowan Poehler.

Imani Holmes, Project Assistant:

Where are you going to school? What degree are you going for?

I go to Parkway West High and I and I am working towards my high school Diploma

What drew you to intern at Trailnet?

I like to help people and I like teamwork and contributing to my community. Trailnet helps the people in my community and I really admire that.

What do you hope to gain from the internship? What do you hope to give?

I want to learn what a real work environment looks and feels like and gain experience. I want to help with everything so in the future I know what I will be capable of.

What do you think about Trailnet’s Connecting St. Louis project?

I think the protected bikeways are a great idea! I bike to work everyday and I think that will make it safer for people like me and for kids and all to get where they need to be.

Where do you hope to guide your career in the future?

I have many ideas for what I want my career to be, but at the moment I have not picked a career I want for the rest of my life. And that is ok. I have time to figure it out.

Alexis Vidaurreta, Planning Intern:

Where are you going to school? What degree are you going for?

I’m a rising senior at Washington Iniversity, working toward a degree in Architecture with minors in Environmental Studies and Urban Design.

What drew you to intern at Trailnet?

I became interested in active transportation through studying environmental design. I also worked for WashU’s Office of Sustainability on alternative transportation for a year and a half. I was drawn to Trailnet by its mission, and the opportunity to broaden my understanding of mobility advocacy to include goals related to public health, equity, and community vitality.

What do you hope to gain from the internship? What to you hope to give?

As a Planning Intern, I hope to gain experience and familiarity with the mechanisms of collaborative planning and decision-making. My position is primarily oriented around working with Trailnet’s community engagement efforts and integrating the needs of desires of St. Louisans into the Connecting St. Louis recommendations and ongoing planning and implementation. I hope to use my skills in communication and visualization to express how the plan is fundamentally guided by input from the public.

What do you think about Trailnet’s Connecting St. Louis project?

I am excited to have found myself living in St. Louis during a period with so much forward momentum around mobility. I am proud to be playing a role in Trailnet’s vision, as it boldly seeks to leverage connectivity to create a culture of health around active transportation and to bring out the latent vibrance of this city.

Where do you hope to guide your career in the future?

After I finish at WashU next year, I am hoping to pursue a career in public interest design and planning–working to address the urban issues of the 21st century.

Rowan Poehler, Policy and Advocacy Intern:

Where are you going to school? What degree are you going for?

I am a rising junior at Tulane University in New Orleans studying Public Health and Anthropology.

What drew you to intern at Trailnet?

I bike everywhere in New Orleans, so I was interested about learning more about the biking community in my hometown.

What do you hope to gain from the internship? What do you hope to give?

I hope to gain experience working in a non-profit that combines health, urban planning, and advocacy. I hope to give my willingness to learn and work hard.

What do you think about Trailnet’s Connecting St. Louis project?

I feel that these protected bikeways are very important for the health and safety of all St. Louis residents.

Where do you hope to guide your career in the future?

I hope to focus on improving both human and environmental health.