Please be advised that the application period for the March 2026 Externship Experience has now closed.
In-person with homestay or virtual externships for one or two externs: March 10–12 or 17–19, 2026 (students, please specify your interest in your cover letter).
Students who spend three days with me will get to see how a large city agency/public utility (Tacoma Public Utilities) functions, digging into the intersection of technical functions and community outreach, especially to youth. The students will also get to explore a large public utility; depending on the students’ interests, we can spend time learning about ecology, engineering, sustainable operations, communications, community relations, and/or government relations. Many of my colleagues will be available for informational interviews. An in-person extern will be required to show a photo ID in order to obtain the visitor pass for our office building—this ID can be their college student ID. Dress code is business casual. The content offerings are very similar for in-person and virtual externship, as my organization runs most meetings in a hybrid manner.
The extern will meet a wide variety of my coworkers during their experience at Tacoma Public Utilities (TPU), in meetings and through informational interviews. I set up about 3–4 informational interviews for the extern, depending on their interests that they’ve told me about ahead of time.
Homestay specifics: The extern(s) will commute to work with me, and I will cover meals while they are here. Externs may budget what they like for the in-person experience (incidentals and souvenirs). Externs can arrive Monday and leave Friday for my Tuesday through Thursday externship experience. I have a spouse and one 9-year-old child, with whom we will share meals. After dinner, I expect the student(s) to be independent while I take care of family matters. We have some allergies in our home (no tree nuts or fish in our house), and we are able to accommodate most types of dietary restrictions, if I know ahead of time.
We have one guest room with a door and a queen bed, and a bathroom that will be for the student(s) alone while they are here. If I get two co-externs, we are able to offer a comfy couch as a second sleeping space, separated from the rest of the house by a privacy screen (not a door). Students will need a photo ID for the workplace visit (student ID acceptable).
We have a pet snake who lives in a tank. The tank is out of the way, and the snake is often hiding, if a student does not like snakes.
Returning host Rochelle Gandour-Rood (they/she) ’02 manages the K–12 education outreach programs for all three utilities: drinking water, electricity, and a short-line railroad. This includes working with teachers and students, as well as with youth in out-of-school settings. Rochelle loves sharing about the natural resources that support our city’s thriving, as well as highlighting awesome career opportunities.
A chemistry major at Grinnell, Rochelle also spent as much time as possible in the arts building. Their first job out of Grinnell was as a middle school science teacher, and they left that job after three years to become an environmental educator. Rochelle holds a master’s degree in Environmental Studies with a concentration in Environmental Education from Antioch University New England. Their work has most often focused on flowing water and fish, and that interest eventually led to this utilities education job, where their focus is hydropower and drinking water.
Outside of work, Rochelle is a Girl Scout troop leader.
Students may contact me ahead of submitting their application.
Application window: October 1–10, 2025, for January 2026
To apply for this externship, submit your application materials including the It’s a Match form, one-page résumé, and cover letter as specified in the resource: Externship Experience Information for Students.
For this host, please be sure that your cover letter includes why you are applying to this externship in particular. Preference will go to students whose interest areas overlap with the host’s, which are quite broad.
We recommend you make an appointment to review your application materials with a CLS adviser before submitting. Questions? Email: externships@grinnell.edu.