The Arboretum typically offers summer internships in horticulture, arboriculture, plant records, and production; and in programming for the Arboretum Avian Education Program and Childhood’s Gate Children’s Garden.
Internships are posted on our Employment page and on the Penn State Human Resources Careers page.
Our Interns
Kelly Davidson
Email: kmd6873@psu.edu
Kelly Davidson is from Wake Forest, NC, and a current graduate student at Duke University pursuing a master of environmental management with a concentration in ecosystem science and conservation and a certificate in geospatial analysis. In her spare time this summer, you can find her tending to her garden and ever-growing houseplant collection. As the plant records intern, she is most excited about building on her previous knowledge of plant identification while inventorying the living collections.
Clareigh Kathleen Ellis
Email: cke5137@psu.edu
Growing up in the woods of New England, Clareigh loved the outdoors and helping her neighbor maintain her garden. She is entering her senior year of the Penn State landscape architecture program, hoping to pursue a career in playground or urban plaza design. She hopes to fine-tune her gardening skills and learn more about horticulture, as they are significant aspects of landscape architecture.
Adelle Loaney
Email: aml7161@psu.edu
Adelle Loaney is from Pittsburgh, PA. She is a rising senior majoring in marketing and minoring in horticulture. Adelle has always loved the outdoors and being surrounded by nature, leading her to a fascination with how plants grow and create immersive environments. Over the course of the internship, she is looking forward to learning more about native plants and garden management.
Megan Martin
Email: mnm5618@psu.edu
Megan is a master’s student studying curriculum and instruction with an emphasis on science education at Penn State. Originally from Michigan, Megan grew up collecting rocks on the shore of Lake Huron. Naturally, she completed her bachelor’s degree in geological sciences from Michigan State University in 2015. She worked as a geologist in Colorado performing environmental remediation and later as a technician in a certified groundwater testing laboratory. Although she began her graduate journey with the Penn State Department of Geosciences, she excited to complete her journey in education to learn to share her enthusiasm for science and nature with others. In her free time, Megan enjoys running, reading science fiction novels, going to the local farmers market, and spending time with her spouse and two cats.
Lily Ridilla
Email: lqr5291@psu.edu
Lily Ridilla is entering her third year in Penn State’s undergraduate plant sciences program. She loves reading outdoors, spending time at summer camps, studying native flora, and painting. While working in the children’s garden, she hopes to instill in children a deep love for the outdoors and sense of agency in nature.
Davin Scheitrum
Email: djs7350@psu.edu
Davin Scheitrum is from Harrisburg, PA. He is a rising junior and a second-year student in the landscape architecture program. Davin grew up spending a lot of time in sensory gardens as a kid and finds the rehabilitative nature of plants to be very fascinating. Over the course of their internship in horticulture, Davin is looking forward to learning more about the general upkeep of the Arboretum and to diversify his knowledge of plant species.
Ryan Wilkins
Email: rjw5793@psu.edu
Ryan Wilkins is originally from Mullica Hill, New Jersey. He is a fifth-year senior at Penn State working on getting his bachelor’s degree in plant science with a focus on horticulture. Ryan’s interests include playing the piano, health and fitness, and learning more about fungus and plants. Over the course of the summer, he is looking forward to learning more about managing plant diseases and monitoring the overall health of plants.