Helping Dogs and Science Speak Louder

Voices for Conservation: Meet Our SciComm Interns

K9 Conservationists is proud to support early-career communicators through our Science Communication Internship program. Interns help amplify our mission by creating content across platforms — from podcast production and blog writing to video editing and social media storytelling.

K9 Conservationists is Hiring: Science Communication Intern(s)

Are you passionate about social media, writing, podcasting, video editing, or directing? Interested in using those skills to help tell stories about working dogs and wildlife conservation?

K9 Conservationists is thrilled to announce we are accepting applications for one or two Science Communication Interns to join our team!

About the Position

  • Location: Remote

  • Time Commitment: ~3 hours per week for 3 months

  • Compensation: This is an unpaid internship. We recognize that this is a barrier for many and deeply apologize. In return, we offer:

    • Free tuition to our K9 Conservationists Handler Course (a $750 value)

    • Mentorship in science communication, nonprofit storytelling, and conservation messaging

What We’re Looking For

  • Strong interest or experience in any of the following: social media, science writing, podcasting, video editing, directing, or graphic design

  • A desire to learn and grow as a science communicator

  • Clear communication skills, creativity, and reliability

To Apply

Please send the following to k9conservationists@gmail.com by June 15:

  • A brief cover letter

  • Video, audio file, or graphic showing why you're excited to join the team and what you hope to learn

  • Your resume

  • A link or file of relevant work samples (portfolio, writing samples, video projects, etc.)

We’re excited to hear from you and look forward to growing our communications team!

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Bernice Morfe (they/them)

Science Communication Intern

Bernice, also known as Binky or Binx, is a video editor from the Philippines who is passionate about conservation—especially animals and the environment.

Growing up, Bernice often wondered how they could make a difference in the world, inspired by those they saw on the news—educating, protesting, and advocating for the environment. Initially, they believed that protesting or becoming a field scientist were the only ways to contribute and felt discouraged by a lack of confidence. Over time, Bernice realized that any effort helps as long as the intention is right. They discovered their skill in video editing as a way to make an impact through science communication, an approach they hadn’t known had a name.

Bernice is excited to learn more with K9 Conservationists and extends a warm greeting: "Maligayang bati!" (a Filipino phrase that usually means "happy birthday," but directly translates to "happy greeting," which they found fitting).

"Working with K9C has been so extremely fun, I get to explore not just my video editing skills, and learn how to work the TikTok algorithm after each upload, but also exercise my writing skills: on the first video I made, I was given so much creative freedom that I wrote a voice-over script for Barley, and they actually let me do it! So far it has felt like every little idea I suggest makes it into the final product. All this while watching sweet videos of dogs doing their job over and over! The work that the humans do at K9C is especially inspiring too, with every video I keep thinking, “how do I tell people how cool their job is through a video?” It might be overwhelming at first, if you don’t know too much about detection dogs and conservation efforts, but it gets better as you learn the purpose of scat searches while also learning how to communicate it effectively.

Some tips for future interns:
Have fun, and don’t be afraid to ask anything! Kayla welcomes questions with tact and consideration. And any communication is always better, especially for working purely online."

-Bernice

"Working with K9C has been so extremely fun, I get to explore not just my video editing skills, and learn how to work the TikTok algorithm after each upload, but also exercise my writing skills: on the first video I made, I was given so much creative freedom that I wrote a voice-over script for Barley, and they actually let me do it! So far it has felt like every little idea I suggest makes it into the final product. All this while watching sweet videos of dogs doing their job over and over! The work that the humans do at K9C is especially inspiring too, with every video I keep thinking, “how do I tell people how cool their job is through a video?” It might be overwhelming at first, if you don’t know too much about detection dogs and conservation efforts, but it gets better as you learn the purpose of scat searches while also learning how to communicate it effectively.

Some tips for future interns:
Have fun, and don’t be afraid to ask anything! Kayla welcomes questions with tact and consideration. And any communication is always better, especially for working purely online."

-Bernice

Vanessa Lopez (she/her)

Science Communication Intern

Vanessa is a third-year undergraduate student at California Lutheran University, pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Environmental Science with double minors in Communication and Global Studies. Growing up in Santa Maria, CA, on the Central Coast, she developed a love for the outdoors, which inspired her decision to pursue environmental science. After conducting undergraduate behavioral ecology research in Brazil on squirrel monkeys, Vanessa discovered a passion for conservation work. She is driven to continue learning and sharing the vital impact of conservation through communication platforms, highlighting its overall benefits for the planet.

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