2012 Army Corps Team 6 - Georgia

Nestled in the foothills of the Georgia Blue Ridge Mountains lies Lake Lanier, one of America’s favorite lakes.

Over 7.5 million people a year choose to visit Lanier. With over 692 miles of shoreline, the lake is well known for its aqua-blue colored water, spectacular scenery and variety of recreational activities.

Constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the 1950’s, Lake Lanier is a multi-purpose lake that provides for flood protection, power production, water supply, navigation, recreation and fish and wildlife management.

Lake Lanier is one of 464 lakes in 43 states constructed and operated by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers. It has won the best operated lake of the year award in 1990, 1997 and 2002.

Located only 30 miles from Atlanta, Georgia, Allatoona Lake is situated on the Etowah River, a tributary of the Coosa River. The serene lake and peaceful surroundings offer a respite from the rush of city living.

Allatoona Lake is one of the most frequently visited Corps of Engineers lakes in the nation. Nearly 7 million visitors each year enjoy picnicking and swimming at our parks, camping, hunting, fishing, boating, and observing wildlife along the beautiful shoreline.

Allatoona Dam impounds run-off water from 1,110 square miles into the Lake. For an unequalled view of the dam, we recommend a visit to the Operations Project Management Office and Visitor Center which is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM except holidays. The Visitor Center features video exhibits and displays about the area's history, ranging from the time of early Indians to the gold mining and iron making days, from the Civil War up to the present. Also, to learn how the lake is harnessed for power, be sure to see the animated cutaway drawing of the dam in the Visitor Center at the Operations Project Management Office.

Upon graduation from high school I was admitted to the Richard Stockton College of NJ. Being unsure of what direction to take with regard to my studies, I immersed myself in a wide variety of classes. Upon taking my first Introductory Political Science class, I knew that I had stumbled upon something I could sink my teeth into. At the end of that semester I decided to declare a major in Political Science. The following semester I was introduced to the challenges surrounding environmental policy, energy, and sustainable development. This very quickly became an area of special interest and over the next few years I took as many classes pertaining to environmental issues as my degree would allow. I began to work with my academic advisor on extracurricular projects building towers and recording wind data for small scale wind turbines for various sites across southern New Jersey. Additionally, I became a skilled backpacker and undertook a Wilderness Survival Skills course to develop my backcountry knowledge further. I was also able to spend several weeks in Yellowstone National Park over During Summer 2010 meeting with park officials and locals alike to discuss the challenges of managing natural resources. In my studies and extracurricular opportunities I found a deep seeded love for the environment and a devotion to expanding my understanding of modern issues.

These experiences throughout my education have honed my passion for environmental issues and provided me a thorough foundation of understanding regarding the challenges facing our generation. As graduation from the college drew closer, I knew that I wanted to gain hands on experience within the environmental sector. As I began applying for positions I was introduced to the SCA and the many opportunities for experience they had to offer. The more I read about these opportunities, the more excited I grew about the chance to get my hands dirty. I look forward to traveling to other regions of the US, gaining hands on experience, and exploring different environments through my experiences with the SCA :).

Early childhood, I landed with my family in the coastal mountains outside Santa Cruz, California with two siblings and two dogs on three acres of forest. Though I was very young, I remember wandering enchanted woods, discovering abandoned forts built by children that had since outgrown them, splashing into ponds to catch salamanders, blackberries and poison oak, hunts for imaginary friends lost in the depths of the forest, climbing anything with invitation, dirt stained clothes to be expected. From these mountains, my family moved to Modesto, the middle of the middle of California. The Central Valley had its own set of adventures. Lots missing houses opened habitat for blue belly lizards, fat burrowing toads and squirrels, small snakes, and feral cats. The same brown water drained out from the bathtub as a result of some serious childhood play.
At 16 years, I began volunteering at a backpacking camp in the high Sierra Nevada Mountains right outside of Yosemite National Park in the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness. Camp Jack Hazard became my second home and every summer I returned to welcome my community and respite from scorching valley temperatures. The wilderness smoothed over my cracks and rough edges and the stars sang me to sleep every night. I watched campers grow to love the back country, returning year after year, growing wiser and more aware of their own environmental responsibility.
College school years were spent studying at Modesto Junior College and Humboldt State University. I decided to major in Cultural Anthropology after one of the first and most inspirational semesters in junior college. At the university, I specialized in ancient Latin American cultures of Central America. Along the same lines, learning Spanish became a passion as a result of living deep among a strong Spanish speaking population in the Central Valley and sparked the travel bug. Summer of 2006 was spent between Guatemala and Belize. Summer 2008, I attended the Universidad Autonoma Benito Juarez de Oaxaca in central southern Mexico as an exchange student. In 2009, I graduated from Humboldt State University with a BA in Cultural Anthropology, minor in Spanish.
After graduation, I worked in a charter school teaching alongside the kindergarten teacher in a Spanish immersion elementary school in Arcata, California. In 2010, I moved to San Jose, California to join AmeriCorps and work for a non-profit called Our City Forest where I worked on a team that focused on managing and enhancing the health of the urban forest.
Early 2012, I began researching opportunities to get my hands dirty with the Student Conservation Association.