This summer, the Roger Williams Park Conservancy is happy to introduce you to Adam Gendreau and Randi Rojo, our first summer intern and assistant.
Adam is a rising junior at Brown University majoring in Urban Studies and Environmental Science. He comes to the Conservancy through our partners at Brown’s Swearer Center. A Franklin, Massachusetts native, Adam is creating and managing the Conservancy’s first “Park User Survey.”
Brown University intern, Adam Gendreau
“Roger Williams Park, and city parks in general, have become a particular area of interest for me in my time at Brown thus far.” Adam says. “I am fascinated by the push-and-pull of urban development and environmental conservation. How do we allocate room to grow, while still setting aside large swaths of unused land? Within the economic engine of a city, how do we quantify the value and benefits of greenspaces? Why do people visit urban parks?”
Adam’s park user survey is now online; tell us about how the park impacts you! We will give away a Roger Williams Park t-shirt every month to one respondent (be sure to provide your email).
“With this survey, Roger Williams Park Conservancy and I hope to learn why people visit Roger Williams Park, what they like to do at the park, what the park means to them, how the park can be further improved, and how they engage with the park community. With the results from this survey, we hope to make the abstract value of Roger Williams Park just a bit more tangible, while hearing valuable information and feedback from the community.”
Randi Rojo, lives in the nearby Elmwood neighborhood and is a rising junior at Providence’s MET School. He is working as a program assistant at the Conservancy through the Providence Recreation Department’s “Eat, Play, Learn PVD” summer job program.
Program assistant and MET School student, Randi Rojo
Randi lives in the park’s adjacent Elmwood neighborhood. “I wanted to try this out because my friend works in the Planetarium and he likes working in the park so I pretty much took his idea. I like visiting the park, I love the Zoo. I want to learn more about the park, I want to see parts of it I have not explored yet.” Randi’s favorite subject is math but he likes history too. Look for Randi at an upcoming park program, helping to post flyers, or helping with surveys. Thanks to the Providence Parks Department for helping to arrange Randi’s work with the Conservancy.