Posted by Mark Campanale
By Christina Prew, Intern at Triumvirate Environmental
Being the only Chemist Intern this past summer at Triumvirate Environmental was a very rewarding and positive experience. Not many 19 -year-old college students can say that they have suited up in Tyvek and used an air-purifying respirator to consolidate hazardous chemicals. Triumvirate certainly does not place interns at the bottom of the food chain, with the exception of some “all in good fun” teasing to the young and naïve. However, being included in every training program that was available to the full-time staff was fantastic. The 40-hour OSHA Hazardous Operations course was extremely helpful. I learned to work safely, and Triumvirate paid for the training, which was a great opportunity and resume builder.
Work wise, I generally performed the same type of tasks that any other Chemist did. Instead of running around getting coffee or making copies, I was in the field at sites such as Harvard and Children’s Hospital. As a very active kid, I enjoyed going to different places each day and doing different work. This variety made every day exciting and for the most part, unpredictable. Working over 40 hours a week and starting work at 6 or 7 AM definitely strengthened my work ethic and contributed to my increased maturity. The early hours definitely have their ups and downs, but it felt nice to feel such a sense of accomplishment by 12 PM when every other college kid was just rolling out of bed.
The best part of working at Triumvirate was by FAR the people. Everyone was so friendly, not to mention extremely patient and helpful. As an intern, I entered Triumvirate with no experience other than waiting tables, and of course only being half way done at UNH. Every person I worked with had no problem answering my endless amount of questions or teaching me something I did not know how to do. Being so young and inexperienced, I needed a lot of guidance and everyone was always eager to help. Also, I made some pretty good friends in the three short months I was there. I originally feared that the company may be very clique-oriented, but after the first day my doubts were gone, and I have never felt so welcomed by everyone.
I absolutely plan on returning to Triumvirate as soon as possible, whether on my winter break or next summer. I would recommend to anyone that has environmental concerns and wants to make a difference to join this company. I felt like every day I was improving the world in which we live in by educating companies about hazardous chemicals as well as disposing of them correctly. I wanted to make even a small difference in the environment and Triumvirate has definitely helped me to achieve this goal.
