So, I was asked to write a “2-ish paragraph bio” about myself, which is proving to be more challenging than I had expected. It’s surprisingly hard to fit twenty-one years of amazing, fun filled life in “2-ish paragraphs” when you think about it. So I’m going to keep this short and sweet, and hopefully maintain your attention.
I’m twenty-one (twenty-two as of August 31st, if you want to be specific). Roseville, California is my hometown, it’s up there SE of Sacramento (it’s a pretty boring place and I advise you to not waste your time there). I have no siblings, and two wonderful, loving parents. Oh, and an australian shepherd named Hurley. After graduating high school, I had dreams bigger than the small town I lived in for seventeen years, so I moved to Long Beach in SoCal to attend school at CSU Long Beach. After completing my first year of college, a job opportunity arose in Juneau, Alaska. Alaska was probably what opened my heart to the wilderness and all its beauty (Alaska is definitely a place no time can possibly be wasted). Backpacking, day hikes, the most pure sense of the wilderness… it was all brought upon in one summer, and it changed my life forever.
My original major at CSULB was International Studies (I had a set dream for many years of traveling the world by working for the US Embassies). However, my first semester back from Alaska, I randomly took a sailing class. One of my crew members mentioned they were a Recreation major with a focus in the outdoors. With my new found love of the outdoors, I immediately knew this was for me, so, obviously, I became a Recreation and Leisure Studies major with a certificate in Outdoor Recreation. Somehow I found out about the Wilderness Studies program at CSULB as well. This was an additional certificate in Wilderness Studies including courses like backpacking, rock-climbing, mountaineering, wilderness waters, winter mountain expedition, kayaking, and a few other great courses. Again, I obviously set out a goal to obtain this certificate because it includes all of what I love… the wilderness. Let me summarize; I am going to school to learn about everything I love, the wilderness. I just recently finished my fourth year of school and have one semester of academics and then an internship
(I realize this is now paragraph three, but bear with me. I have twenty-one years of life to talk about!) One of my instructors previously informed me about the SCA and what they do, and I signed up and became a member immediately. Wilderness… conserving it for now and the future… overall bettering our world, I mean, what’s not to like about this organization? The SCA is all about what I want to do and is a great gateway tool into gaining hands on experience while opening my eyes to more opportunities and to better understanding of conservation. I hope this summer brings all of these components, and more, to me and others participating in the program. I plan on gaining lots of knew experiences and knowledge from this summer in any way I can!
So there it was, my “2-ish paragraph bio”. I hope I didn’t bore you too much. And now I will leave you with one of my favorite quotes…
“Don’t ask what the worlds needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” -Howard Thurman
