Name: Juliana Vair
Class Year: 2026
Major: Comparative Literature (French and German) and Mathematics
Minor: French
Hometown: Miami, Fla.
Internship Organization: Black Forest UNESCO Biosphere Reserve
Internship Title: Summer Intern
Location of Internship: Schönau im Schwarzwald, Germany
What's happening at your internship? We would love to hear what kind of work you are doing!
I'm primarily working with our education and press relations departments. Three to four times a week, I go on excursions with the biosphere's ranger to check up on local flora and fauna and make sure the hiking trails, signs, and infrastructure look good. For the rest of the week, I work on different projects like translating presentations, researching German and European environmental and agricultural developments, and educating school and university groups.
Why did you apply for this internship?
I heard about this opportunity from the German department at Bryn Mawr and was inspired to apply because of my love for the environment. In fall 2023, I took a botany course as part of a 360° course cluster, which also helped spark my interest in learning more about sustainability and agriculture.
Juliana Vair '26Sustainability and environmentalism aren't just theories anymore- I'm seeing how we can implement these practices in real life.
What has been your favorite part of this internship?
I love going out into the protected natural areas and learning about local wildlife. The landscape here is incredibly different from where I grew up in Miami, and it's also been great to learn the German and Latin names for plants.
What is something you have learned from your internship that you didn't expect?
My German is improving greatly since I'm learning lots of specialized vocabulary I otherwise never would've been exposed to. It's challenging in the best way.
Can you talk about the skills you are learning and why they are important to you?
German education and workplace culture has a heavy emphasis on specialization and practical, hands-on work. The exposure I'm getting here to being out in the woods nearly every day is very unique. I'm learning how biosphere reserves blend traditional methods (such as agricultural practices) with modern-day sustainability knowledge and how these practices can best be implemented on a local level. In the Black Forest, in particular, the relationship between partner organizations, whether that be a farm or a cheesemaker, is wonderfully complex and rewarding.
What has been the biggest challenge you have faced at your internship?
Although I love speaking in German all the time, it takes a lot out of me. I've had to juggle everything new I'm learning and make sure I don't reach the point of exhaustion where I'm not producing my best work. I'm still figuring out how to strike that balance, but my improvement over the past months has been great! Also, the ticks... I've had at least one a week.
What is most rewarding about your internship?
I've loved learning about everything I never would've otherwise been exposed to. I'm currently helping the biosphere with a European Large Carnivore Project, where we're researching the return of wolves to Germany after two hundred years and the best practices to encourage coexistence between farmers and wolves. I can now identify plants I didn't even know existed a month ago, and I've run out of storage on my phone because I've taken so many pictures of cows. Sustainability and environmentalism aren't just theories anymore- I'm seeing how we can implement these practices in real life.
Through the Career and Civic Engagement Center Beyond Bryn Mawr Summer Internship Program, Bryn Mawr students pursue opportunities in fields such as nonprofits, government and law, health care, research, sciences, business, and the arts. Thanks to the generosity of our alumnae/i and donors, over 150 students across all academic departments are funded to pursue unpaid internships or research experiences in the U.S. and abroad each year.
Career & Civic Engagement Comparative Literature Mathematics French & Francophone Studies