By Ryan Ruggiero
This week, we’re delighted to feature a guest reflection from Ryan Ruggiero, one of our 2025 summer interns. As a student of Psychology and Environmental Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University, Ryan brought a passion for wellbeing and conservation to his internship with OneNature. Over eight weeks, he worked closely with our team to review and refine our Wild Happiness methodology and reporting strategies. His thoughtful approach, research insights, and commitment to accessible, community-centered reporting have added real value to our future work. We’re grateful for his contributions and proud to share his perspective.
My name is Ryan Ruggiero, and this summer, I had the opportunity to work with OneNature on a project focused on enhancing the organisation’s methodology and data reporting strategies. As a double major in Psychology and Environmental Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University, I’m deeply interested in the intersection of human wellbeing and ecological conservation — a foundational pillar of OneNature’s mission.
Through reviewing previous project reports and conducting literature research, my goal was to support a more holistic, culturally grounded, and accessible approach to community-led conservation metrics.
Project Goals
The main objective of my internship was to evaluate OneNature’s current survey and data collection methods and identify opportunities for improvement. This included:
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Researching culturally appropriate adaptations to surveys
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Exploring ways to better integrate qualitative data (e.g., interviews and focus groups)
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Recommending how to combine qualitative and quantitative approaches
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Designing strategies to support a more comprehensive, culturally adaptive social baseline research framework
An additional task was to develop a new reporting template with two versions:
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A detailed report for project leads and institutional partners
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A community-facing version to support accessible, action-oriented dialogue
Key Activities
✔ Reviewing Past Projects
I analysed reports from previous Wild Happiness survey projects, including the 2025 Wellbeing Reports from Volcanoes National Park (Rwanda) and Nakai-Nam Theun National Park (Laos), to assess how findings were shared with both partners and communities.
✔ Literature Review
I researched current best practices in social baselining, participatory research, and wellbeing assessments to inform my recommendations.
✔ Evaluating Methodologies
I assessed OneNature’s approach and metrics in the Wellbeing in Conservation report from Columbia University to identify alignment and areas for development.
✔ Recommending Improvements
My suggestions included:
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Incorporating more qualitative measures in future surveys to deepen cultural insight
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Applying peer-reviewed strategies for increasing community participation and project co-ownership
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Updating the structure and visual design of reports to better align with effective communication standards
✔ Designing Templates
I created two adaptable report templates grounded in best practices and OneNature’s values — supporting both technical accuracy and community accessibility.
Reflections & Takeaways
This internship gave me invaluable insight into the conservation field. With the guidance of Beth Allgood and the entire OneNature team, I was able to grow my research and analysis skills while contributing to OneNature’s mission of integrating wellbeing into environmental action.
I’m excited to carry this experience forward in my academic and professional journey. Conservation is a field I’m passionate about, and I’m grateful to have played a part in furthering OneNature’s innovative approach.
Thank you again to everyone at OneNature for the opportunity and support.
~ Ryan Ruggiero
OneNature Summer Intern 2025 – Ryan Ruggiero