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Through the Luke internship, the field of biology became familiar in practice

Ella Ahti started as an intern at Nature Resources Institute Finland (Luke) at the start of summer 2022. Ella is currently studying at the University of Helsinki for a master’s degree in ecology and evolution biology. At Luke, she has been happy about the sense of community at the workplace, expertise and learning new things.

How did you come to apply to Luke?

I applied to Luke, because it is definitely one of the most sought-after employers in our field. In Oslo, I was an intern for half a year in an environment organization, so I knew I wanted to do an internship again. With Luke I’ve had an excellent view at Finland’s leading environment research.

In addition, Luke had interesting tasks for interns. Among everything else, my to do -list has included different kinds of communication and making news releases. I have also gotten to be a part of planning Luke’s stand at a garden fair, see the research of Japanese rose up close and I have gotten to do some field work as well.

How did your first day at the internship go?

When I stepped into Luke’s bright and spacious office at Viikki for the first time, my legs were shaking a bit and my pulse must have been as high as it would be at a gym. Already on the first day I found out, however, that the whole team wanted me to be a part of the team. I was not left alone, but guided through everything and trained, and we went to lunch together. After the first day my legs were not shaking anymore, and my pulse had returned to normal as well!

Already on the first day of the internship, my manager told me, that us Lukeans and our well-being are always the priority, even if we are really busy with work or the list of tasks seems endless. I felt like I was really cared for. It is a great thing to know that my employer sees me as a valued member of the work community.

As an intern at Luke you get to do what you are interested in.

How has your experience at Luke been since then?

The expertise at Luke is infinite, and that is why it is relieving to find out, that I did learn something from my studies and that I got to use my knowledge from the very beginning. You can also always ask questions from your colleagues, just as I have. You really must seize the opportunity that you get to work with the experts of your field. That is one of the biggest benefits of an internship. In addition, all kinds of recreation days, coffee breaks over Teams and everything else like that helps to build a more relaxed relationship with colleagues, and it is easier to ask questions and converse.

In addition, I think some of the benefits of the internship for me are the understanding of how working at the field of biology really is, and practical knowledge like how complicated it is to get research funding. During studies, we generally focus on data collection, but through the internship, practical things also become familiar.

As an intern at Luke you get to do what you are interested in and also what you never knew you could do. That is why the work is interesting, encouraging and inspiring. I myself am only at the very beginning of my career, but I have already experienced and done so many things. I’m highly interested in preserving biodiversity and things related to game and large carnivores, so I finally feel like I am at the right place on my career.