Take the hallway lined with plants past the painting of a tree into the office with shelf after shelf of native Missouri plants. There, you will find WashU sophomore Winston Mattson.
As one of 45 Gephardt Institute St. Louis Fellows, he interns at Seed St. Louis, a nonprofit in the Delmar Divine social innovation hub. In his role, Mattson creates storytelling content for Seed St. Louis, works in community gardens it supports, meets with community partners and helps raise money for the organization’s philanthropy efforts.
“I am a multidisciplinarian at heart,” said Mattson, who is majoring in environmental analysis in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis. “At Seed St. Louis, I love having different tasks that use different skill sets. I get to challenge myself and also build new strengths.”
The Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement’s St. Louis Fellows program started in 2008 with 12 fellows. Today, it supports 45 fellows and plans to expand. Students work at local nonprofits, foundations and government agencies and receive a $7,500-base stipend.
“Many organizations simply cannot afford to hire interns, and many students cannot afford to work without compensation,” said Stephanie Kurtzman, the Peter G. Sortino Executive Director of the Gephardt Institute. “The St. Louis Fellows program solves that problem, providing students meaningful career and civic leadership opportunities while helping St. Louis organizations meet their mission-critical goals.”
Mattson said the stipend paid for his summer living expenses and will help cover the cost of the fall semester.
“Without the stipend, I think this entire experience would have been off the table for me,” Mattson said. “For a lot of students, it’s a necessity.”
On this day, Mattson and his supervisor, Krista Chalise, Seed St. Louis director of development and a Brown School alumna (MSW ‘10), meet with A Red Circle, a nonprofit committed to building a strong north St. Louis County. Seed St. Louis is helping A Red Circle cultivate its own community gardens and grow healthy food for community members. Mattson believes partnerships like this one are vital to protecting the environment.
“As someone who aspires to be an environmental litigator, I believe the courts are essential in holding corporations and the government accountable,” Mattson said. “But the big takeaway from this summer is that good relationships and local small-scale solutions can also make a tangible difference.”
Career Catalysts is a series about WashU interns, by WashU interns. WashU funds paid internships across the St. Louis region, providing students invaluable job skills while helping local startups, small businesses and nonprofits meet their mission.
Zach Trabitz was a news intern in University Marketing & Communications at WashU. This summer, he covered the LIGHT public health summer camp; surveyed WashU students and faculty about their favorite art destinations; interviewed researchers about dangers posed by ticks and mosquitoes; and profiled WashU faculty and students. He is majoring in art history in Arts & Sciences and is an editor at Student Life newspaper.
Cole Bernstein is a multimedia intern in University Marketing & Communications at WashU. This summer, he produced a “Field Notes” video about CET Film Production at FAMU, an overseas program in Prague. Bernstein, who is majoring in film studies in Arts & Sciences, wrote and served as assistant director of the film “A Bird in the Field,” which premiered at the prestigious St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase.
