Internship gives student close-up look at Bellevue Botanical Garden

By Lindsay Larin • October 9, 2009 1:55 pm
Sarah Morsi helped track the more than 30
Sarah Morsi helped track the more than 30

As a junior at Issaquah High School, Sarah Morsi was looking for an opportunity to get involved in her community. The Bellevue resident stumbled across a non-profit organization for youth called Teens In Public Service, better known as TIPS.

Located in Seattle, TIPS offers teens, ages 15 to 19, the chance to link up with a local organization to participate in a community service internship, working with the homeless, tutoring at-risk youth, caring for the environment, working in health and human services, or providing educational opportunities to disadvantaged children.

TIPS matches the interests and skills of each chosen teen with the needs of one of its partnering non-profit organizations.

Morsi applied for the TIPS program and was chosen from more than 400 applicants for an internship this past summer. During the interview portion for TIPS, Morsi expressed an interest in the areas of biology and medicine. She was paired with the Bellevue Botanical Garden for an eight-week paid internship.

Morsi spent two months, five days a week, helping out with grounds-keeping, gardening and partnering with a college intern to help document individual plants and species at the Botanical Garden for an online database. Over the course of the eight weeks, Morsi helped track the more than 30,000 plants located throughout the 36 acres of land.

“This was an amazing opportunity I was given to meet new people and learn more about botany, a topic that interests me,” she explained. “I enjoyed getting out of the classroom and getting my hands dirty. I learned a lot.”

Even after she completed her internship through TIPS, Morsi continues to volunteer at the Bellevue Botanical Garden.

“The Botanical Garden is a beautiful place and the upkeep is mostly volunteer-based,” she said. “I want to do my part to help out.”

Now in her senior year, Morsi stays busy, actively participating in Senior Class Council, Traffic Safety Court and the Sammamish Rowing Association.

“This internship has helped prepare me for future community service work,” she said. “I encourage other students to take advantage of this great opportunity.”

Lindsay Larin can be reached at 425.453.4602.

For more information on Teens In Public Services, visit http://www.teensinpublicservice.org/.