Monday, January 26, 2004

By Rebecca D’Amico, PR Intern

Wilmington, N.C. – Melanie Wemple, a junior at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, has received an internship at the National Geographic Society in the division of International Editions. Wemple, a geography major, is one of only 32 students in the country, the only one from a North Carolina university and only the second UNCW student to receive this prestigious internship.

Melanie, the daughter of Patrick and Mary Wemple, is a 2001 graduate of John Holmes High School in Edenton, N.C. According to assistant professor of geography at UNCW, Dr. Doug Gamble, “An internship at the National Geographic Society represents one of the most sought after positions by undergraduate geography students at American universities.” The prestige of this internship makes Wemple’s appointment a great honor for her, the UNCW geography program and the entire UNCW campus. Gamble also states, “The choice of Melanie as an intern in such a competitive internship program indicates UNCW’s success in producing excellent students and a quality geography program.”

Wemple will serve her internship in Washington, D.C. from Jan. 12 to April 23. Wemple will be returning to UNCW next semester and is expected to graduate in May 2005. To read her essay see below.

Wemple’s National Geographic Society Essay

Ben Stein said, “The indispensable first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: decide what you want.” After I took a Weather and Climate course at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, I decided I wanted to pursue a career in geography. The information fascinated me. I think I made a wise choice and I feel the opportunities to succeed are plenty. There are many avenues to take as a student of geography and that is part of the appeal. It was only after a Creative Writing class that I considered a career as a journalist or travel writer. I think the biggest weight in my decisions have been my professors and my advisor.

When I was a kid, my principle influence was a dusty globe I found in our hall closet. I spun it in circles and used my index finger to quickly stop it. I believed that place was where I would live. My friends’ and I discovered where our husbands would be from and where we would get married on that globe. I could barely pronounce the names of many cities, but that didn’t matter. Mostly I read in schoolbooks and the National Geographic magazines my parents subscribed to, learning about the far off places my life would take me. I looked at pictures of people, artifacts, insects and mammals. And I read about wars and diseases.

Throughout middle school and high school I absorbed information about all different aspects of life. Like many students, career counselors tried to categorize what I should do. Teachers recommended job ideas and it seemed everyone’s parents encouraged a job in their particular field. When I applied to college my dusty globe sat in the front of my mind. I wanted to contribute to a magazine or book like the ones I read after spinning the earth.

Now I would like to be a student who works as a part of the Society’s Intern Program. I believe that I could apply my knowledge and experiences and bring back a lot of significant information. I would like to grasp a better understanding of the types of job offers in a geography field and the responsibilities they demand. This position could allow me to work towards my aspiration of becoming a travel writer, should I be accepted. This is a great opportunity for me to explore my career decision and refine my goals.

As a child, I had a general idea of what I wanted to be when I grew up. Now, a little closer to being grown up, I want to dust off that globe and try to achieve what I imagined. Before Ben Stein ever suggested the best way to getting what you want, I had made my decision. I know I can do what I desire, but hopefully this internship will provide me with an experience I might otherwise miss.