The mission: Enliven and diversify all levels of National Park Service staff by connecting talented young people with NPS careers. The means: National Park Service Academy. NPS Academy gathers young people from diverse communities across the country and brings them to either Grand Teton or Great Smoky Mountain National Park for a weeklong inside view of how US public lands are managed and maintained. After this initial week of networking and learning, participants are placed in 12-week paid summer internships with NPS and SCA. The following fall, participants serve as Academy Ambassadors, reaching out to their campus cohorts to generate interest in the next year's National Park Academy programs.