I grew up in Olympia, Washington and while most of my favorite hobbies were indoor activities like art and reading, I also loved exploring outside. During the summer I often had scratches on my arms and legs from picking blackberries and climbing trees. I loved drawing flowers and collecting various rocks and sticks I found. My family and I wouldn’t have considered ourselves “outdoorsy,” or “environmentalists,” but nature was a part of our day-to-day. As I grew up, I never thought of the environment as something that could be career related, but even as I’ve hopped around between art, science, policy, community organizing, and education, a connection to nature has always been a consistent theme throughout.

I entered my undergraduate studies with a personal commitment to social justice and a goal of doing something that helped others. The most obvious pathway to me was therapy and social services, but unfortunately, the program at my school didn’t resonate with me and I was a little at a loss of what to do instead. By chance, I landed in a sustainability course where I was exposed to stories of people taking action to care for their community such as Ron Finley, a guerilla gardener in South Central LA who was implementing grassroots solutions to living in a “food desert”. I found these stories deeply inspiring, not only because of the difference they were making, but also because they highlighted how interconnected our own wellbeing is to each other and the earth as well as the pervasive impacts of inequities and injustices. This experience shifted my focus to learn more about ecology and environmental sciences. 

While studying ecology, I thought that I would go into research and took part in a National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates. While I loved working in the field and lab, I felt disconnected from the human-centered focus I had before. In an effort to bridge my love for science with my values for social justice, I decided to explore environmental policy. I was fortunate to be accepted into the Roger Arliner Young Fellowship that provided emerging leaders of color with opportunities to enter the conservation field. In my cohort with other peers of color, I was introduced to the Environmental Justice Movement, and it felt like everything clicked into place. The feeling of community I experienced, the shared values and visions for the future, and the centering of representation and lived experience, brought me a sense of fulfillment and purpose that I couldn’t ignore and has guided me throughout my professional journey. 

All these experiences have influenced how I think about the environment. When I was younger, I thought of the environment exclusively as natural spaces, but I’ve come to understand that our environment encompasses so much more than that. It includes our connection to our communities, our cultures, work, education, healthcare, resources, and to nature. Conservation is not about protecting the environment by keeping it separate from us, it’s about creating the conditions for people to thrive and be in reciprocal relationship with each other and the place around us. Now, as a facilitator and relationship builder working in the conservation field, this understanding is core to how I approach my work.