March 10, 2025

At Bennington, students spend six weeks every year taking their skills and knowledge out of the classroom and applying them in the world of work. They use this annual work-learning opportunity—known as Field Work Term—to deepen their studies, challenge and test new ideas, and hone their direction for the future.

How did your Field Work Term relate to (or diverge from!) your studies at Bennington?

My Field Work Term at the Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter directly related to my studies through hands-on work in New Mexico state politics focused on climate and energy issues. In my studies, I have explored environmental political theory, but I was very lucky that in this experience I got to see how these theories apply in the current political landscape.

I built a lot of skills in grassroots organizing, lobbying, and working in coalitions that I think will be transferable to many issues, as I am deeply interested in a lot of issues that play out in state and local politics. Having the opportunity to be in the room when bills were being debated and voted on and to follow them through the entire body of government also enriched my understanding of how policy actually gets made, or if it doesn't, then what stops it. 

What did a typical day at your Field Work Term site look like? 

The New Mexico state legislative session overlapped with the better part of my Field Work Term, so I was lucky enough to be in Santa Fe at the capitol building most days. Typically, I would arrive at the capitol (we called it the Roundhouse) around 8:00 am and head to a committee hearing for a bill that we were working on.

In committee, my job was to take notes, and sometimes to speak in support or opposition to a bill that was being heard. Once the committee ended, I would report the results to the team I worked with, and then usually listen in to other committees if they were still going on, or head to the senate or house floor. Depending on the day, I would eat lunch and stay at the Roundhouse if there were more relevant bill hearings, or I would meet up with my supervisor who was in charge of grassroots organizing to touch base and plan the rest of our days. If I didn't stay at the Roundhouse, I usually returned home and spent the rest of my work day on grassroots work like phone calls, emails, and volunteer training, or on research/preparation for the upcoming bills. 

What surprised or challenged you the most about your position?

Some of the grassroots work definitely pushed and challenged me, which wasn't necessarily surprising but still notable. Phonebanking was one of my greatest enemies during this internship, as I found it uncomfortable at first, but I got better at it over time and my supervisor was kind in letting me take it in small doses and offering guidance. 

What do you hope to do in the future—for your next Field Work Term and beyond Bennington?

I don't know exactly what I'll do yet, but I am hoping to continue working within political advocacy for the environment or another issue that is important to me. It was eye opening to be put directly into a coalition of many different organizations working towards the same goal and see how many of them are open to sharing their knowledge and giving you opportunities to help, even though most of them cannot afford to pay for interns.

This term, I'm in Housing in America, Housing in Bennington, a class that explores the housing crisis in Bennington and the nation at large. I am looking for opportunities to work on housing injustice in my hometown and get connected with organizations that are working both on the ground to respond to immediate need and advocating for policies in state and local government that address the root causes, as well as impacts of the housing crisis without criminalizing the people struggling the most. 

Image: Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter's Camilla Feibelman, Jacqueline Walsh '26, and Melissa Bernardin at the Roundhouse.