Sabine Paz-Le Draoulec ’26, an environment and sustainability major from Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, spent her summer in Washington, D.C., with the United States Department of Agriculture through its Future Leaders in Public Service Internship Program. During her internship, she supported tribal agriculture initiatives in the Midwest.
We caught up with Paz-Le Draoulec to learn a little more about her experience and how it will help shape her future.
How did you find this opportunity with the USDA, and why did you feel drawn to it?
I applied to this internship because it offered a unique way to merge my academic interests with my personal background. As an environment and sustainability major focusing on sustainable agriculture and environmental law and policy, I saw this experience as an opportunity to explore how the federal government supports sustainable agricultural practices, particularly for tribal producers. Working with farmers in Indian Country felt especially meaningful to me given my own heritage. But I was also drawn to the chance to contribute to work that not only advances sustainability but also incorporates the legal and historical dimensions of treaties and sovereignty, which is a perspective to the policy questions I hope to pursue in my career.
What did you do throughout the internship?
I worked on projects that relied heavily on my writing and research skills, drafting policy memos and preparing briefing materials. A major highlight was revising and drafting a new Indigenous Stewardship Methodologies Guide for the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NCRS) to provide guidance on working with tribal nations, as well as designing an independent research project on integrating integrated pest management and traditional ecological knowledge. I also was able to see the process of rulemaking in regard to tribal communities by reviewing new rules and writing memos to advise my supervisors on whether tribal consultation was needed. Lastly I conducted legal research into how the National Environmental Policy Act, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the NRCS work together in Indian Country to identify areas where confusing language creates challenges for smooth implementation.
