Johnathon Miller-McCall initially joined the Synchronicity Earth team as one of our Summer Interns – an internship that offered experience and training in communications, programmes, philanthropy and finance. His passion for communicating the wonder of nature and species led to an extended position supporting our Communications and Engagement team.
Here, he tells the story of his journey into the conservation world.
Natural-born nature nerd
These days, I describe myself as unabashed wildlife enthusiast and conservationist. But it wasn’t always that way.
This may sound cliché, but I have always been fascinated with the natural world. I remember catching insects in old takeaway containers as a child, forcing my friends to jump over a fence into an abandoned building site that nature had reclaimed to see the abundance of life there. Yes, I was that weird, nerdy kid. I was known as ‘professor’ in my family: I had a ‘scientific brain’ and would not stop researching animals or watching documentaries. Aside from obsessing over wildlife, I was always sketching animals and creating my own fantasy creatures.
This passion stayed with me until I finished school, however I became increasingly more unsure of what career path to take. Outside expectations made me question whether my interest in wildlife was normal, as none of my peers shared this. I began to feel like an anomaly, and the pressure to assimilate led me to settle on more conventional options.
Going back to my roots
I eventually started a role in credit control which turned out to be a huge learning curve. As my first office job, this was intimidating, and the culture made me reconsider my decision. This feeling persisted and after just over a year in the role, I applied to a degree course in Animal Management and Conservation. Receiving an offer the same week, I finally felt free to pursue something I wanted to do.
I can whole-heartedly say that leaving that job was the best decision ever – it released the ‘nerd’ I’d locked away out of fear of social norms. I was studying a subject I truly loved, and I felt at home.
After my degree, my studies were put into practice working as a dog handler, and as a trainee with London Wildlife Trust. Here I built valuable connections in the sector, learned about conservation and habitat management, and delivered workshops to the public on minibeast hunting and pond-dipping.
Sharing a sense of awe for the world felt natural to me, so I began creating educational wildlife videos to help people acknowledge life around them. Since then, I’ve made it my mission to ignite curiosity, inspire action, and educate others by producing engaging and digestible social media content.
I love using my social media @_animal.corner_, to share my experiences in nature and inspire others.
From a post to a placement
I posted a video on LinkedIn explaining the ecological importance of lichen and was contacted about Synchronicity Earth’s internship by Generation Success, an organisation who provides career opportunities and mentorship to diverse young people in the UK. After successful interviews I was selected to take part in the Summer rotational internship. Again, I immediately felt at home, everyone was so welcoming and excited to work with me.
The dream team (left to right) my fellow intern Amit, our line managers Geanie and Celeste, and myself.
Over the six weeks I tried my best to absorb as much information while developing my skills. My first task was to design a website for the white-bellied heron working group which initially felt daunting as I had never created a website before. After refining my work, I showed my website to the working group which was a success! A member of the working group said they had been dreaming of a website to platform their work, and it was so rewarding to make this possible.
This was a major highlight as it showcased my creativity. In that sense, it helped me show the team my potential – but, maybe more importantly, helped me believe in my own ability.
Overall, I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity to identify my strengths while bettering myself personally and professionally. The environment sector is the second least diverse in the UK. We need more internships for young conservationists – crucially, paid opportunities. An internship like this helps to recognise the pool of talent that is often excluded, and provides individuals of all backgrounds the experience they need to progress in this space.
In my freelance work, I have spoken about the need for better inclusivity within the sector. Here I was a panel member at Forwards Festival in Bristol, discussing inclusivity in the sector. Credit: @cata.filmzzz
Interested in starting a career in the environment, but not sure where to start?
We have answered some of our Frequently Asked Questions from people new to the sector:
