Community

Meet Niyah Banfill: TU intern in Michigan

My name is Niyah Banfill and I am a Trout Unlimited summer intern in Michigan. 

I am an incoming sophomore at Central Michigan University, majoring in Environmental Science and minoring in Chemistry.

I began working alongside Trout Unlimited through their Rogue River Green Team when I was a junior at Rockford High School and spent two summers on the Green Team.  

In the summer of 2017, Niyah Banfill (third from left) participated in the Rogue River Green Team, a program for high school students.

This summer, I am interning with Trout Unlimited for my second year, focusing on implementing sustainable habits within my community. 

I am excited to be a mentor for the Green Team because the opportunity I had as a high school student helped me establish pursuing a career in the environmental field.

My passion for the outdoors began in sixth grade when I was placed in the Earth Keepers magnet at East Rockford Middle School. Through the magnet, I learned the importance of our waterways and keeping our earth green. 

Once I reached high school, I discovered my love for chemistry, which also helped me find a focus to tie in with my major. 

In my free time, I love to kayak and hike on nearby trails with my friends and family. My experiences with Trout Unlimited have fulfilled my passion for the outdoors, and I am very excited for the opportunity to work with them again! 

By Mark Taylor. A native of rural southern Oregon, Mark Taylor has lived in Virginia since serving a stint as a ship-based naval officer in Norfolk. He joined the TU staff in 2014 after a 20-year run as a newspaper journalist, the final 16 as the outdoors editor of the Roanoke Times. A graduate of Northwestern University, he lives in Roanoke with his wife and, when they're home from college, his twin daughters.