Meet Annie Means, an intern for Maritime Finance, whose main role is to oversee and run the Asset Management Project
Annie Means first heard about the summer internship program from her brother, a former high school intern. After receiving family encouragement, Annie decided to apply as high school internship program for the summer of 2017. After a long and competitive process that included almost 300 high school applicants, Annie was selected to be one of the 90 high school interns to join the Port that year.
Despite having very little advance knowledge of what the Port did, Annie jumped right into her internship. As a high school intern, Annie was able to help map assets at different terminals and Port-owned properties. Her summer was a success, and the connections Annie made helped her make the decision to come back to the Port again, this time as a college intern with increased responsibilities. “I really like my boss, Meredith Fishkin, so I wanted to come back and work with her again,” Annie said. “The work is engaging, people care what I produce, and I can see my work make an impact.”
This year as a college intern, Annie manages the Asset Management project and supervises high school interns now in the asset tagging role she previously held. She is also devising a system to effectively map and keep track of maintenance of all of the Ports assets for the next 10 years.
Aside from working in Maritime Finance, Annie has also been able to branch out to do other work, including being a volunteer at High School Internship Orientation. “I really like when we do community outreach,” Annie said, “It is nice when you get to meet to people.”
When asked what pleasantly surprised her about her internship, Annie said, “The great thing about my job is I get to be outside three days a week tagging assets, which is something that I really like doing.” Growing up, Annie spent a lot of time outdoors, snowboarding, hiking, and backpacking. The amount of time Annie spent in nature is one of the main reasons why she believes she has a passion for conservation. “I really want to protect the environment because it is so beautiful,” Annie said.
After the internship, Annie will be entering her freshman year at Whitman College, majoring in Environmental Science. “The Port is a really great place to work. I will gladly come back [to compete for an internship again] next year.”
