Written by Isabella Piñón, Gulf of Mexico Program Intern (Summer 2026).
My first week working as an intern at Turtle Island Restoration Network I spoke in front of 40 people, rallied for endangered gulf species, dissected eight lionfish, and picked up more pounds of trash than I can remember. The rest of the summer was just as interesting, confusing, and impactful as that first week. From May to August, I helped pick up 954 pounds of trash, 1,542 nurdles, and 10,061 cigarette butts. I got the opportunity to learn from an organization that has so much wisdom on community, environmental agencies, marine life, and how they all interconnect. I met people from all walks of life. Fishermen on the piers in Galveston, city council members, little kids with dreams of saving the planet, and residents who spend their time volunteering at non-profits like TIRN. Turtle Island Restoration Network is whatever the opposite of boring is and no short of extraordinary.
My role was as the Gulf of Mexico Program Intern on the Oceans team here in Galveston, Texas. This team works to rally the community to fight for a cleaner and healthier planet. My job varied from day to day. Sometimes I would be on the beach leading cleanups, or in the office writing public comments. July was filled with the team and me calling and meeting with the staff of US representatives. As well as days when I would walk around local businesses and restaurants building relationships with them. One of my biggest tasks, and what I felt was the most important one, was the monofilament line and cigarette butt collection. TIRN collects cigarettes beyond just at beach cleanups. There are a series of cigarette cans all over the island, as well as a series of monofilament line collection tubes. Once a month, I would go to the fishing piers on the island and collect these cigarettes and monofilament lines. While I was there, I would get so many questions about what I was doing. This was such a rare and important opportunity to educate people that normally wouldn’t have much interaction with a conservation network. I would explain to the anglers how, despite common knowledge, cigarettes aren’t just paper and leaves. Modern cigarettes have a plastic filter and are full of chemicals. A single cigarette butt can pollute two gallons of water. I would tell them not to worry, that I wasn’t here to take away their cigarettes, just ask that they put them in the can and not into the water. They would laugh and ask me to tell them more about what I do. I found that these anglers were attentive listeners and were genuinely curious about how they can become more environmentally safe as fishermen. It was a wonderful way to connect and educate my community.
The staff and volunteers here in Galveston are what make this company so beyond special. I worked closely with a volunteer named Niels all summer. Niels retired after owning and running his own moving business for decades and now spends his time volunteering at various non-profits around Galveston Island. I joked all summer that he was a better intern than I was, which I still think might partly be true. He’s the kind of person that TIRN attracts, and the type of person TIRN inspires someone like me to become.
Joanie is what my generation would call a “Girl Boss.” She is empowering and a wonderful example of how to lead and who I want to be in my career. Joanie has created a space here in Galveston that is full of life and love, and it was a privilege to get to be a guest in it. An office where they all chat and laugh at lunch, and Niels drops by when he feels like saying hello, and a nice puppy is always welcome.
I could probably count on one hand the number of times I saw Rena with anything but a smile on her face. When I was brand new and nervous, she would make me laugh, and when I’d been here for months, she always brightened my early mornings. She is our membership specialist and knows all the ins and outs of TIRN and our members. Without her, the team wouldn’t be able to do all that they do.
Brittany, I worked with the most. She is the Gulf Program Coordinator, and as the Gulf Program Intern, I ran around as her shadow. Brittany isn’t much older than I am, yet is already doing pretty incredible things. For a week in June, she was in Washington DC, talking with representatives from around the country to fight for stricter plastic regulations. Then she flew right back here and rallied the community together for Plastic Free July. She works so endlessly hard at her job, much like everyone I’ve met here, and always strives to prove everyone wrong. Everyone who says that one person can’t make a difference.
That right there just about sums up Turtle Island Restoration, a company that proves everyone wrong and makes a difference in the world. I’ve seen it firsthand, and I’ve heard about all they did before I came along. They have made such an impact in Galveston, and all over the country. From fighting for a blue green planet locally, and nationally, Turtle Island Restoration Network is an inspiring and powerful organization. I can’t think of a better way that I could’ve spent my summer.
