Texas A&M University graduate student Cash Kinsey is serving as an intern at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, D.C., gaining firsthand experience in the EPA’s Office of Water, thanks to support from the Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI) and its Mills Scholarship program in partnership with the EPA.
Kinsey is earning a master’s degree in water management from Texas A&M's Water Management and Hydrological Science Program and has been in D.C. since January, working at EPA headquarters and learning about grant funding, water quality and program leadership.
"At TWRI, we strive to support students and provide them with diverse experiences, and this internship was designed with that goal in mind while also fostering productive relationships with agency leaders,” said TWRI Associate Director Lucas Gregory, Ph.D.
"I've learned more in the one month that I've been here about water quality management and protection than you could in a whole semester in school," Kinsey said. "The connections that it gives you in terms of really understanding how things work are huge."
"Students get first-hand experience working with the EPA, meaning they get to work with members of the national nonpoint source team and meet a ton of people, basically opening the door for potential job opportunities," Gregory said. "From the TWRI perspective, it gives us the chance to interact with purpose with the national nonpoint source team as well. It's a collaboration opportunity that has purpose behind it to benefit students."
While Kinsey is unsure where exactly he will end up in the future, he plans to take advantage of his present company to learn about his opportunities from the water professionals and leaders around him.
"I'm hoping that through this, I can find a way to get my foot in the door," he said. "My interest is learning as much as I can about how people got here and finding good starting points for me from there.”
