Meet the 2021 Mississippi River Fellows!

Four young people stand in front of a fence smiling at the camera on a sunny summer day with the St Anthony Falls behind them.

With the long-term goal of creating a park staff that is more representative of the communities it serves, the Mississippi River Fellowship provides an opportunity for diverse and underrepresented young adults ages 18-25 to explore a career path in the environmental field. This 10-week paid fellowship explores the different branches of the National Park Service including Visitor Services, Interpretation & Education, Natural & Cultural Resource Management, and the Volunteer Program. The fellows will work directly with National Park Service Rangers, Mississippi Park Connection staff, and other park partners to aid in facilitating educational programs, habitat restoration events, and wildlife monitoring on the Mississippi River. Learn how to apply for next year on our website!

Melina is smiling at the camera with blue water and mountains behind her on a sunny summer day.

Melina (She/Her)

Hi, my name is Melina and I am one of the MPC River Fellows for the summer 2021 season. I was born and raised in Urbana, Illinois which is surrounded almost completely by industrial corn and soybean fields. Growing up with limited access to nature has only made me value nature more. However as soon as I got the chance to move to somewhere greener, I did! The beautiful landscapes of upstate New York were what drew me to Cornell University, where I am about to go into my senior year studying Environment & Sustainability with a minor in anthropology. And that same desire for nature brought me to Minnesota for the summer. 

I’ve always felt a strong kinship with the Mississippi River. Some of my favorite music is the blues that came out of the Mississippi River Delta, where the River was a source of joy and sorrow for the musicians and their communities. I love to learn about the relationships people have with bodies of water and hope to bring people closer to the Mississippi River during my fellowship.

Deacon kneels on one knee on the green grass and poses with a puppy in front of a car.

Deacon (He/Him)

Hau Mitakuyapi! My name is Deacon and I am serving as the new fellow for the 2021 summer. The opportunity to work with Mississippi Park Connection and the National Park service along the river is a dream of mine. As I was born and raised along the Cetan Wakpa and Granite falls, Mni Sota near Pezihutazizi Kapi, the river has always been my home. Through the river I have found a reciprocal relationship with Maka Ina and the land, thus spurring relationalities built between many ways of life. 

I attended Minnesota State University, Mankato for two years and established myself in the American Indigenous studies field, and am currently in my last semester at the University of Minnesota after transferring. The University of Minnesota’s student groups like Circle of Indigenous Nations and Canoes Rising have given me countless experiences and interactions with the spirituality of the river. My work experience includes a year and a half (barring COVID-19) of Historical Interpretation with the Minnesota Historical Society at Fort Snelling at Bdote, in which I primarily had a focus in Dakota and Oceti Sakowin history primarily within Mni Sota Makoce. My areas of interest include diversity inclusion and kinship and identity building through language and place, and of course the river as a relative. In my free time, you can catch me loving every minute of sports, jamming to some good tunes, and swimming in some fresh water.