Victoria Levi ’27 is using both her English Literature major and Environmental Studies minor skills this summer while working on legislation about dam-removal at American Rivers, a non-profit environmental organization that works to protect and restore rivers.
Levi is serving as a river conservation summer intern with the organization, researching and learning about dam-removal. Her days can vary depending on what her team needs, which means she is learning about a lot of different parts of the organization and what is required for water protection. Her projects have varied from making a State Dam Law Removal Library to researching information about key abandoned dams or writing a blog. Luckily for her, her studies at CC have prepared her extremely well for this internship.
“I love the English Department so much,” says Levi. “It has taught me how to think critically, creatively, and write clearly and convincingly. When I take a literature class, I often look for a way to integrate environmental concepts into my final papers, even when the class is not blatantly environmental.”
Levi says this allows her to gain a creative look into environmentalism by using novels and theories to think about important and pressing environmental questions. “Integrating this lens into my internship has proven very helpful because I can look at my work and draw connections between real-world, literature, and policy,” she says. “My English classes have taught me how to look at and extrapolate from texts. My Environmental Studies classes have helped me gain a strong toolset for this internship.”
Although she is only minoring in Environmental Studies, Levi feels those classes have greatly prepared her with a strong background in environmental history, key laws, and important concepts. An example of this is her past Block 7 Environment and Society class, where she did her final project on a case-study of the Klamath Dam Removals.
“Last year, I took Introduction to Earth Systems with Professor Grambling where my final project was titled ‘Victoria’s Favorite Whitewater Kayaking Lines on the Potomac River Through a Geological Lens,’ and I got to research the geology of my home river where I grew up kayaking,” Levi says. “CC Environmental Studies classes really let you dive deep into what you are interested in, fostering a skillset transferable to careers in related fields. Because I have always been interested in river restoration, I usually opt for doing something related to that as my final in environmental classes, and that has proven very helpful for my internship!”
“The Block Plan has also helped me write high-quality work very quickly. This is something my team has been very impressed with. Because of the Block Plan, I am used to focusing on one thing at once. As an intern, I am usually working on one project at a time, so I am very well equipped to dive deep into the subject and produce in-depth research in a very timely manner.”
Victoria Levi ’27
At American Rivers, Levi spent her time researching different state policies to help her team with their work on urging different state governments to adopt better dam safety and removal policies. “During my internship I identified which states have safety regulations or educational materials on low head dams,” Levi says. “I worked with a team to advocate for increased safety and community awareness at these dams and a smoother path to removing low head dams that are no longer necessary.”
Additionally, Levi writes blog posts, researches orphaned dam policies and statistics, and helps with grant-writing for actual dam removals. She recently attended an in-person conference with different dam removal organizations. Prior to starting the full-time internship at the end of May, Levi was hoping she would learn how to look at dam-removal related policy, which she says she has definitely accomplished.
“The Block Plan has also helped me write high-quality work very quickly,” Levi says. “This is something my team has been very impressed with. Because of the Block Plan, I am used to focusing on one thing at once. As an intern, I am usually working on one project at a time, so I am very well equipped to dive deep into the subject and produce in-depth research in a very timely manner.”
Levi says her favorite part of the internship has been connecting with her supervisor, Katie Schmidt, American Rivers National Dam Removal Program Associate Director, who Levi says has been an amazing mentor to her and has given her an in-depth understanding of dam removal practice.
“I have learned about how much work goes into one dam removal – even if the dam itself is small,” says Levi, who also wants to educate others about river restoration and the importance of preserving the planet. “So much time, research, permitting, outreach and work is required to remove one piece of infrastructure. But the results are so worth it – when a dam removal is done correctly, a river flows freely and you cannot even notice a dam was once there! I have also strengthened my understanding of the public safety hazard of dams, especially low head dams, which are underregulated nationally, and the pressing need to remove them. Not only are low head dams a threat to safety, but in a world facing the climate crisis, they disrupt aquatic ecosystems, fish passage, and river flow. Dam removal rehabilitates rivers, creates aquatic connectivity, and removes public safety hazards.”
Levi has been whitewater kayaking her whole life and she decided to intern at American Rivers because she says protecting rivers and dam removal has always been a pressing issue in her life. “As a kayaker, free-flowing rivers are extremely important to me: rivers have given me so much love, opportunity, and joy, so I feel a deep responsibility to fight to protect them,” says Levi, who has been involved with the Colorado Springs Sunrise Hub – a youth-led movement based at CC that advocates for political action on climate change – since her first year on campus.
Levi spent the last five summers teaching kids how to whitewater kayak at a summer camp where she also started an all-girls kayaking programing. “Getting kids out on the water makes such an impact in their life, fostering their connection to the outdoors and to rivers,” she says. “Kayaking inspired my passion for environmentalism. Since I have been lucky enough to paddle on various rivers since I was a kid, I hope to share that love with other people! I have seen first-hand the importance of free-flowing rivers, igniting my desire to fight to protect and restore rivers.”
Levi says her Venture Grant really helped to prepare her for this internship. “I explored feminism and whitewater kayaking on the Grand Canyon, and it was the first time I was able to bridge my passion for whitewater kayaking with real-world research,” Levi says. “This internship let me explore that passion in a new way, through a policy lens.”
Levi encourages other CC students to utilize campus resources, especially the Career Center. She says that the Career Center inspired her to reach out to organizations she was interested in and taught her that is never hurts to send an email! “I got this internship by scrolling through American Rivers’ staff page, seeing a staff member with a kayaking profile picture, and emailed her directly with my interest and experience as a whitewater kayaker,” Levi says. “She then connected me with my boss, Katie, and an internship was created! American Rivers wants to help young, interested professionals learn and grow skillsets.”