My name is Mikio Yap and I’m currently a sophomore with a declared Environmental Studies-Anthr
opology and Japanese double major. I’m working with the Tri-State Steelheaders as an Education Intern for the second semester and have been able to explore lots of new projects and ways to impact the community through
education. I work alongside Education Coordinator Alex Lau, Environmental Educator Brock Peterson and Whitman Fellow Alli Shinn in local elementary and middle school classrooms teaching lessons to students about healthy watersheds, the salmon life cycle and how simply being a resident of Walla Walla, Washington directly impacts the wellbeing of fish populations and our environment.
opology and Japanese double major. I’m working with the Tri-State Steelheaders as an Education Intern for the second semester and have been able to explore lots of new projects and ways to impact the community througheducation. I work alongside Education Coordinator Alex Lau, Environmental Educator Brock Peterson and Whitman Fellow Alli Shinn in local elementary and middle school classrooms teaching lessons to students about healthy watersheds, the salmon life cycle and how simply being a resident of Walla Walla, Washington directly impacts the wellbeing of fish populations and our environment.
The Tri-State Steelheaders Salmon Enhancement Group is a local non-profit in the town of Walla Walla, Washington with a focus on restoring native populations of salmon that we
re heavily affected by modernization. The group actively engages in riparian habitat restoration projects, public education through the Salmon in School program and encouraging recreational angling by way of an annual Kid’s Fishing Day. The non-profit also partners with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to help fund and exercise these programs and events.
re heavily affected by modernization. The group actively engages in riparian habitat restoration projects, public education through the Salmon in School program and encouraging recreational angling by way of an annual Kid’s Fishing Day. The non-profit also partners with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to help fund and exercise these programs and events. This semester, I am continuing to teach lessons in school environments but have started a new project for the organization – podcasting! Brock and I meet to produce podcasts using Whitman’s podcasting room in the Hunter Observatory, edit them, and upload them onto Spotify. For now, these podcasts are primarily for the use of teachers to use in the classroom before a member of our education team joins their classroom as some sort of a “pre-lesson”.
I also help to put together the lesson portion for classes, and one of the best memories this semester so far has been finding bugs in Yellowhawk Creek for students to experience a lab. Brock went into the middle of creek with a kick net and we collected bugs in a net for students to observe. We found lots 
of mayflies that day! A continuing project for the group is the observation of the salmon fry that are growing in each of our classrooms. They are growing and as they do so, need more care and monitoring to ensure that they are healthy by the time they are released into our local stream system in May. Watching them grow from eyed-eggs (fertilized eggs) has been rewarding and special. I hope that they return to Walla Walla as adults and help foster future generations of Coho salmon for the years to come.
of mayflies that day! A continuing project for the group is the observation of the salmon fry that are growing in each of our classrooms. They are growing and as they do so, need more care and monitoring to ensure that they are healthy by the time they are released into our local stream system in May. Watching them grow from eyed-eggs (fertilized eggs) has been rewarding and special. I hope that they return to Walla Walla as adults and help foster future generations of Coho salmon for the years to come.
Experiences like Mikio Yap’s are made possible by the Whitman Internship Grant, which provides funding for students to participate in unpaid internships at nonprofit, some for-profit, and government organizations. We are happy to be sharing blog posts from students who were supported by either a summer, fall, spring, or year-long grants at organizations, businesses, and research labs all around the world. To learn how you could secure a Whitman Internship Grant or host a Whitman intern at your organization, contact us at ccec_info@whitman.edu.