News

Sound Rivers’ Swim Guide program is gearing up for its launch Memorial Day weekend with our interns arriving at our Washington, New Bern and Raleigh offices. After an intense two weeks of training, they’ll be responsible for coordinating and training our Swim Guide volunteers, testing water samples and relaying results via text, email, press releases and social media videos throughout the summer.

Visit our Swim Guide page for more information, to sign up for notifications or volunteer to collect samples for this program that lets you know where it’s safe to swim at 51 popular recreation sites throughout the Neuse and Tar-Pamlico River basins.

MEET THE INTERNS

WILL SHINGLETON is a rising senior at East Carolina University, majoring in environmental health with a minor in composite natural science. Will’s academic interests include recreational and potable water quality, on-site wastewater and soil.

For the last two years, Will has worked as a park attendant at River Park North. A Rocky Mount native, Will grew up swimming and waterskiing on the Tar River.

Will is based at Sound Rivers’ Washington office and can be reached at will@soundrivers.org.

LEAH TILSON is a rising senior at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, where she is majoring in English with a double minor in Environmental Science and Public Policy. Originally from Robeson County, she’s a member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina. Leah now lives in Fayetteville, a few miles from the Cape Fear River, and enjoys hiking, painting and writing stories in her free time.

She hopes to pursue a future in environmental law, and is especially excited to learn more about riverkeeping and environmental nonprofit work in North Carolina.

Leah will be working out of Sound Rivers’ Raleigh office and can be reached at leah@soundrivers.org.

NATHALIE URIARTE-AYALA will be working as Sound Rivers’ Lower Neuse River intern for the summer. A rising junior at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill majoring in Environmental Science with a minor in GIS, Nathalie said she’s excited to learn more about water quality and the variety of projects involved in its study.

Nathalie is a native eastern North Carolinian,  who was born in Kinston and grew up in Pink Hill.

Nathalie will be working out of our New Bern office and can be reached at nathalie@soundrivers.org.