Meet the new Saint Paul Right Track intern!

Mississippi Park Connection partnered with the City of Saint Paul’s Right Track program to host a new 3-month internship. Right Track’s mission is to build Saint Paul’s workforce by providing career-readiness opportunities and work experience for the young people of Saint Paul. Meet Maricio here on our blog or at the park’s Fossil Walk in October!

My name is Maricio Madrigal and I’m currently a student at Saint Paul College in my final semester, graduating with an Associates of Arts degree. I plan to attend a 4-year university after I graduate and major in Geology, then take that degree to get a Masters in Paleontology. I always loved watching Jurassic Park, Land Before Time, and Walking With The Dinosaurs when I was a kid. I thought that digging for fossils was really cool and getting to travel around to find where other fossils are has to be a fun experience. So, while getting there is a work in progress I’m also going to be majoring in geology because I love working with the environment, animals, and even rocks. 

My hopes for this internship are to learn about the environment, the river, and the kind of work Mississippi Park Connection does. I want to get a better understanding of how conservation works and the strategies that are used to protect the ecosystem in the area. Most of all I wish to learn what made everyone passionate about the things they do while working here. I believe that being passionate about the work you do matters and I hope to learn something about myself while interning.

Here are some facts about me: I have some hearing loss. I love playing video games. I have a Siamese cat named Tyson. I like to listen to music and hang out with friends. I enjoy learning about history and environmental studies.

Read Maricio’s blog post about the geology of St. Anthony Falls!