Welcome Samantha Katt to Sweet Water!
We have a new face at Sweet Water! Samantha Katt just joined our team last month as the new Water Policy Intern. Taylor Baseheart sat down with Samantha last week and asked her a few questions.
Are you originally from Wisconsin?
SK: I am originally from Racine and have lived in Wisconsin all my life. I did my undergraduate degree in La Crosse and am now completing my Master’s Degree here in Milwaukee.
You are currently working as an intern at Sweet Water while completing your Master’s Degree at UWM School of Freshwater Sciences. What is your area of study?
SK: My area of study is Freshwater Sciences generally, but my emphasis is on Urban Water Policy and Water Management.
Are you hoping to stay here in the Milwaukee area after graduation?
SK: Yes, I think it would be ideal to stay in the Milwaukee area. Milwaukee has a very well connected water community that I am slowly becoming a part of and I would like to continue to be a part of it.
What is your current job title at Sweet Water and what are you currently working on?
SK: I am working as Sweet Water’s Water Policy Intern, but that is by no means describing everything that I do. Since Sweet Water is a non-profit, I wear a lot of hats and have my hands in a lot of different stuff right now! Currently, I am doing a lot of community education and outreach about stormwater, stormwater drainage, and stormwater pollution, but, I also do a lot of freshwater science content generation for a variety of projects. One project is working on the Milwaukee River TMDL post-implementation and evaluation. For another project, I work closely with the Village of Bayside to educate residents about stormwater, and I also help out with the Respect Our Waters’ Adopt-a-Storm Drain campaign. I just started to work with the City of Milwaukee to help build up their Water-Centric Cities webpage - as you can see, I stay busy!
Do you have any plans after graduation?
SK: I have another year left or two full semesters, so I think I have a little bit of time to figure out exactly what I want to do and have no concrete plans yet.
We are really excited to have you on the team!
What do you like to do outside of Sweet Water and school?
SK: I love to travel. I wish my schedule allowed for me to travel more. Right before I started graduate school my husband and I took a few months to backpack through western Europe, and we are hoping to go back this winter. But I also love traveling around the U.S. and want to do that more. I used to go on big camping trips to visit State and National Parks, but with my current schedule, that has slowed down. I hope that once I graduate I can start traveling and camping again. Maybe travel to all the National Parks? Fingers crossed!