Erica Feinberg

Hello everyone!

From growing up in a coastal town in central Cali known as Santa Cruz, I was exposed to an abundance of nature to explore from the diverse beaches to the jaw dropping beauty of the redwoods. In the last few years, my involvement in the outdoors has expanded from a spectator's appreciation to a full time participant of understanding nature's symbiotic relationships and learning about more than just what we can see with the naked eye. While I attended community college in Santa Cruz without a direct plan of education and was working at a bead store, my love of semiprecious stones led me to the study of Geology where I began my journey to developing my interest in the relationships of the scientific elements. After going on countless treasure hunts for rocks supplied by mother nature, another gem caught my eye and it was love at first sight. Fungus has been my most recent fascination with its great diversity and extreme potential to aide in resolving natural disasters. The rainy environment that I find myself newly transitioned to in the northern regions of California, Arcata, where I've been living for the last few months, is a popular hub for mushroom fans of all kinds. With that in mind, I would like to pursue a career in Mycology and focus on Mycoremediation (using mushrooms to remove toxins from contaminated areas). A few other activities I enjoy are cooking, crafting, biking, and playing music(learning to fiddle). Without a predicted finish line for school, I have been searching for alternative ways of education and experiences which led me to the SCA. I feel very lucky to have this opportunity to spend the summer outdoors, feeling the great satisfaction of manual labor, and knowing that what we're doing is not only for us but for the environment and other trail blazers. One can enjoy the outdoors alone but it's even better when you can share it with others who also have a similar appreciation! Can't wait to meet all of you!