CAHES student Cire Portegies' internships are helping to shaping her academic career
Baton Rouge, La. - As a junior majoring in Urban Forestry at Southern University’s College of Ag, Cire Portegies found the Yale Conservation Scholars – Early Leadership Initiative to be one of the most developmental and rewarding experiences of her academic journey. The program began with the New Horizons in Conservation Convening hosted at Yale School of the Environment, providing an invaluable opportunity to network and engage with both emerging and established leaders across diverse environmental disciplines.
Throughout the summer, Cire strengthened connections with peers and benefited from extensive mentorship through weekly professional development sessions led by the Yale Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Sustainability Initiative.
Her host-site placement with Rock Creek Conservancy (RCC), a nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C., served as the ideal catalyst for gaining professional exposure. Coming from a background rooted in laboratory and research experience, Cire embraced RCC’s community-focused, land stewardship mission, which offered hands-on engagement with conservation fieldwork. In addition to organizing community events, she received training in flame weeding, safe pesticide application, and identification of Early Detection Rapid Response species. Leveraging these skills, Cire contributed to invasive plant removals, tree tagging, and water bacteria monitoring at multiple restoration sites.
Upon returning to the Bluff, Cire continued to expand her nonprofit experience through an urban forestry internship with Baton Rouge Green. Looking ahead, she plans to pursue a graduate program in urban forestry and ultimately establish a nonprofit dedicated to implementing agroforestry systems in urban environments —enhancing climate resilience and promoting food sovereignty through regenerative agricultural practices.
