Report from the Field: Forging New Paths as a National Parks Consultant

The National Parks Business Plan Internship (BPI) is a highly selective summer program for graduate students studying business, public policy, environmental management, or related fields. Applications launch every year in September, with a January deadline.

Our intrepid Business Plan Internship (BPI) consultants are starting to report back from the field. Having spent the summer in Pinnacles National Park, Cassidy Morris, an MBA candidate at NYU Stern School of Business, reflects on the transformative experience of stepping out of her comfort zone for a memorable summer...

This summer, I am writing a 3-5 year business plan for Pinnacles National Park. That's right, a business plan for a National Park. These times, they are a changin'.As a summer consultant in the Business Plan Internship (BPI) program managed by the National Park Service and Net Impact, I desperately wanted my summer experience to forge a strong bond between my hard-earned business skills and passion for doing good things in the world. When I returned to business school a year ago, I convinced myself that I could try the traditional summer internship recruitment process like everyone else, but quickly discovered my disappointment and disconnect with the options available to me. One of my many second year student mentors, and co-president of the Social Enterprise Association, raved to me about the BPI program. Not wanting to miss out on what could be the perfect internship, I quickly sent in a cover letter with my resume, crossing my fingers that my summer would be full of mountains, rivers - and internal strategy.

So began the most valuable ten weeks of my professional development to this day.

Fortunately, I was accepted into the program in mid-March and so began the most valuable ten weeks of my professional development to this day.Classes and leadership training are the building blocks for charting a career path, but putting my feet on the ground and having a quantifiable impact on an organization hones my skills, builds my confidence (and resume) and helps direct my next steps. Additionally, I had full support to pursue this meaningful internship from NYU Stern as a member of the Stern Social Impact Internship Fund (SIIF). Check it out: many graduate and undergraduate programs offer funding for students to take advantage of all types of career development opportunities.

Check it out: many graduate and undergraduate programs offer funding for students to take advantage of all types of career development opportunities.

I met my co-consultant at training the week before our assignment began. Training was simply the best: presentations full of all the right information, and copious amounts of bonding between summer consultants and project managers. We met our park liaisons towards the end of the week, and in our case the Superintendent and Administrative Officer at Pinnacles National Park had made the trip.First impressions are key; park liaisons had to know we meant business for the next ten weeks, and, more specifically, the business of helping them find ways to cut costs, identify operational inefficiencies, and provide tools and processes for decision-making in the face of an uncertain and challenging budget climate for the foreseeable future. This was all while maintaining the National Park Service mission: preserving the natural and cultural resources of our nation's treasures for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations.

Space to stretch

With inexperienced government eyes and only ten weeks to work with, establishing weekly goals and metrics for accountability were key to not wasting a moment at the park. Leading up to our midpoint meeting with the park's management team, my co-consultant and I identified a few of our own weaknesses that could hinder our success: his lack of experience in project management and business planning, and my novice Excel modeling and data analytics. By taking the time to be honest with each other about our weaknesses (and therefore goals) for the summer, we became an unstoppable team committed to the project and each other's development.

Flexibility is the name of the game in most businesses, and even more so in this case. Whether dealing with people or data, we found ourselves exuding infinite patience in order to tease out the details we needed to move forward. Without the people and the data, our business plan would be a poor skeleton of empty charts and bullet points.

Looking ahead to the final ascent

My co-consultant and I are down to the final two weeks of the internship and occasionally feel small heart palpitations when glancing at our to do list on the white board in our office. Yet, once we reconnect with the people and the data, we can see how our time and research can, and will, save jobs, preserve natural and cultural resources, and arm Pinnacles National Park with a sustainable business model for the next few years. We already feel a small sense of accomplishment even though our final analyses are still coming into focus and new ones could be discovered on the next data sheet or in the next interview. Our impact will be felt at Pinnacles National Park, and I look forward to returning for a visit to witness the implementation of our ten weeks on site.

I see a future career path that blends business with social good in a new way, adapting to the needs of any client to achieve sustainable success.

I am approaching my transition back to New York and full-time school with refreshed, genuine enthusiasm. This is a period of time in my life that will inform all my decisions going forward. Now, I see a future career path that blends business with social good in a new way, adapting to the needs of any client to achieve sustainable success. I had not considered a career in government prior to this summer internship, but I plan on leveraging this experience and my new professional relationships to develop an awareness of government employment, specifically in the National Park Service. Once back at NYU, I plan to reconnect with classmates and alumni in social impact consulting, corporate social responsibility and sustainability, and business development to pursue opportunities in these industries.The National Parks Business Plan Internship (BPI) is a highly selective summer program for top graduate students studying business, public policy, environmental management, and related fields. Applications are open every year from September to January.