Hi! I’m A.R. Well, my name is Anna Rebecca, but nearly everyone calls me A.R. I love learning and like to think of myself as a generally curious person. I think this is something that has been true of me since I was a little kid. I loved reading. I loved school. I asked a lot of questions. And I loved connecting and talking with people about anything and everything.

However, growing up as a queer Latina in rural Idaho didn’t always give me the opportunities to explore my growing interests. I grew up hearing “no” or some version of it quite a bit: “No, you can’t be a scientist.”, “No, you can’t be a marine biologist.”, “You can’t go to college, what about getting married and starting a family?”, and of course one of my favorites, “Everything that can be discovered has been discovered.”

I learned early in my young adult life that some people will always say “no” to you. And honestly, I feel bad for those people. Who told them “no” growing up so they believed that things weren’t possible? But I also learned early in life that despite all the “no’s,” there are people who will say “yes.” And more importantly, I learned to say “yes” to myself. I found these people and learned to say “yes” to myself when I went to college and connected with people who shared similar experiences and/or identities with me.

These people were professors, classmates, colleagues, and community members who all cared about the environment, the people who call this place home, and who wanted to create a space where folks could be in community and care for each other. It was a healing experience. An experience that I brought with me when I moved to Seattle over a decade ago.

As an adult who connects with people from all walks of life, I hope that I am someone who can help create spaces where folks of all ages feel they are seen and heard, and feel that the experiences we co-create are “yes” spaces: Yes, to exploring new possibilities. Yes, to hearing new perspectives. Yes, to creating a generative community. Yes, to making a positive change in our communities and in the world. Yes, to resting and taking care of each other. And yes, to reimagining new ways of being in community and working together.

I hope that as a Luminary in Seward Park Audubon Center’s Elevation program, I can be an adult who helps youth illuminate their own “yes” in life and support youth empowerment in navigating the world with confidence and wonder.

Hi! I’m A.R. Well, my name is Anna Rebecca, but nearly everyone calls me A.R. I love learning and like to think of myself as a generally curious person. I think this is something that has been true of me since I was a little kid. I loved reading. I loved school. I asked a lot of questions. And I loved connecting and talking with people about anything and everything.

However, growing up as a queer Latina in rural Idaho didn’t always give me the opportunities to explore my growing interests. I grew up hearing “no” or some version of it quite a bit: “No, you can’t be a scientist.”, “No, you can’t be a marine biologist.”, “You can’t go to college, what about getting married and starting a family?”, and of course one of my favorites, “Everything that can be discovered has been discovered.”

I learned early in my young adult life that some people will always say “no” to you. And honestly, I feel bad for those people. Who told them “no” growing up so they believed that things weren’t possible? But I also learned early in life that despite all the “no’s,” there are people who will say “yes.” And more importantly, I learned to say “yes” to myself. I found these people and learned to say “yes” to myself when I went to college and connected with people who shared similar experiences and/or identities with me.

These people were professors, classmates, colleagues, and community members who all cared about the environment, the people who call this place home, and who wanted to create a space where folks could be in community and care for each other. It was a healing experience. An experience that I brought with me when I moved to Seattle over a decade ago.

As an adult who connects with people from all walks of life, I hope that I am someone who can help create spaces where folks of all ages feel they are seen and heard, and feel that the experiences we co-create are “yes” spaces: Yes, to exploring new possibilities. Yes, to hearing new perspectives. Yes, to creating a generative community. Yes, to making a positive change in our communities and in the world. Yes, to resting and taking care of each other. And yes, to reimagining new ways of being in community and working together.

I hope that as a Luminary in Seward Park Audubon Center’s Elevation program, I can be an adult who helps youth illuminate their own “yes” in life and support youth empowerment in navigating the world with confidence and wonder.