SHU Student Interns at National Park for STEM Program

Electrical engineering major applies studies to benefit her home state

Sacred Heart University sophomore Doria Lukasik-Drescher used the knowledge and skills she acquired in her studies at SHU to benefit Saguaro National Park in Tucson, AZ, over the summer. As part of her adventure, she interned with Friends of Saguaro National Park through the National Science Foundation’s Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (S-STEM) program and even got to work closely with a SHU alum.

Lukasik-Drescher, 20, of Marana, AZ, learned at the end of her freshman year that she was chosen for the federally funded S-STEM scholarship, which provides annual tuition assistance for academically talented students. The electrical engineering major in SHU’s School of Computer Science & Engineering and member of the women’s rowing team was thrilled to learn about the grant and the internship experience that came along with it.

For more than two months, Lukasik-Drescher worked with Friends of Saguaro National Park, a nonprofit group created to help protect the Sonoran Desert, where the park is located. “I was really excited for this opportunity,” Lukasik-Drescher said. “It was a chance to get an internship and do volunteer work to help a community.”

She aided the national park with facilities and trail maintenance, as well as resource management. She helped design and install lighting systems on work trucks and buildings and assisted in setting up Wi-Fi at the park’s visitor center. She also helped maintain and rehabilitate trails, completed a high-elevation research survey and participated in community outreach and engagement events with members of the Tohono O’odham and Pascua Yaqui tribes.

Lukasik-Drescher worked long days in the hot sun helping her colleagues develop pollinator habitats and create walking paths. She camped out in the wilderness, learned about diverse plants and animals, and often helped come up with solutions to problems on the spot. All of it fit in with her future plans. “As an engineer, it will be my job to innovate, to create, to make life easier for people,” Lukasik-Drescher said.

This was her first college internship, and Lukasik-Drescher said she was grateful for the S-STEM program and her professors and advisors for urging her to apply.

“A federal grant scholar gave back to her community in Arizona by working at a national park and showing kids how what it is like to be an engineer,” said Tolga Kaya, professor and director of the engineering program in the Jack Welch College of Business & Technology. “She is a role model to future generations and I’m sure her hard work will be remembered.”

A SHU connection 2,500 miles from campus

When Lukasik-Drescher learned she’d been accepted into the S-STEM program, she knew she wanted to complete the internship component close to home. She immediately thought of Friends of Saguaro National Park because she had volunteered with the organization during her senior year of high school.

Lukasik-Drescher said she enjoyed that high school experience, during which she created an interactive exhibit and talked to guests at the national park’s visitor center. She also liked the people she met there, including Friends of Saguaro National Park Executive Director Fred Stula, who is a 2004 SHU graduate. He majored in political science and was part of the golf team. He completed his master’s degree at the University of Arizona in 2021.

Stula has been executive director of Friends of Saguaro National Park since 2017. He leads, executes and oversees all aspects of the organization’s activities.

Lukasik-Drescher met him during her high school volunteer days. She saw a tag on Stula’s bag bearing SHU’s crest and, because the University already had contacted her about potentially competing on its Division I rowing team, it caught her attention.

“Doria noticed the Sacred Heart luggage tag on my briefcase and asked me about it,” said Stula, a Colchester native. “I told her about my experience at the University and learned she was considering attending SHU and being part of the rowing team. Soon after that conversation, she went on an official visit and chose to attend.”

Talking with Lukasik-Drescher brought back a lot of SHU memories for Stula. “First, it's a great school with small classes, a beautiful campus and dedicated faculty,” he said. “Second, it helped me find my passions and was a time of personal growth and independence. Third, it provided me with the skills, opportunities, connections and experiences to pursue my career goals.”

He was more than happy to help when Lukasik-Drescher later approached him about an internship. He created one in which she could apply her skills while also learning about the different divisions at Saguaro National Park.

“Doria worked alongside park staff and our Next Generation Rangers internship program, a program designed to provide college students an experiential, engaging and supportive learning and working opportunity at Saguaro National Park,” Stula said. Twice a month, the duo discussed Lukasik-Drescher’s internship to ensure it was meeting her goals and objectives.

“This work is important because it helped increase the park’s ability to complete programs and projects, so in addition to giving Doria a practical, real-world application of what she's learning in school, her work will help provide the one million annual visitors a first-class experience,” Stula said.

Lukasik-Drescher appreciated the chance to make a difference in an internship that brought her close to home. “There’s always a place in my heart for my home state,” Lukasik-Drescher said. “There’s something really special about growing up in the desert. I want to help it. I want to protect these places for future generations.”