Carter Adamson
San Francisco Bay Area Inventory and Monitoring Program

A second-generation Cuban American, Carter spent his youth gaining an appreciation for nature in the forests, streams, and mountains of Virginia. Inspired to aid in the preservation and understanding of wildlife and wild spaces, he attended the University of California, Santa Barbara, earning a Bachelor of Science in Ecology in 2020. He believes that ecological research and hands-on conservation are more important now than ever before. He has conducted two independent ecological field studies – one on wildflowers in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, and the other on crabs and sea urchins in the coral reefs near Cuajiniquil, Costa Rica. Additionally, he has participated in larger studies of California wildflowers and deer populations in Virginia. In the future, he hopes to continue building on these research and applied fieldwork experiences in order to make a difference and help protect the environment. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, SCUBA diving, and playing bass guitar, and he is also in the process of writing a novel.

Cynthia Agustin
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

Cynthia Agustin is a first-generation Guatemalan-American, born and raised in Southern California. She grew up going on hikes and camping trips with her family, and fell in love with the outdoors at a young age. Her most cherished memories involve visiting National Parks in California, where she found her passion in conservation and sustainability. While growing up in Southern California, she witnessed the environmental and social impacts that climate change and pollution has had on her community, which inspired her to pursue her education in environmental science. Cynthia is currently a senior at California State University, Long Beach, where she will obtain a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Science and Policy with a Minor in Geography. In the future, she plans to further her education and pursue a Masters degree in environmental conservation. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, baking, hiking, spending time with her family and friends, and hopes to visit many more National Parks throughout the country.

Pia Cano
Agate Fossil Beds National Monument

Pia Cano attends Clark University in Massachusetts, and majors in Race and Ethnic Studies with intended minors in Art History and Geography. She was raised in Southern California, however, she also lived in Yucatan, Mexico for a period of her life. During this time, she further formulated and strengthened her identity to her Mexican heritage, as well as her relationship with nature. This identity, along with being Honduran, led Pia to engage in activism around environmental conservation and its inherent vitality to culture and language. She is passionate about mentoring children, which drives her volunteer engagement in her communities. Pia loves art history and hopes to incorporate this passion into her career of working with youth and environmental conservation. In her down time, Pia practices art and calligraphy, and plans all the places she would like to visit.

Nohemi Colin
Longfellow House Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site

My name is Nohemi Colin and I am from Chicago, IL. I am a first-generation college graduate from SIUe where I earned a B.A. in international studies, focused on sustainability and development, with a minor in environmental studies. In the spring of 2019, I studied abroad with Semester at Sea and gained a global comparative experience sailing to several countries around the world. While studying abroad, I became interested in visiting and learning more about UNESCO World Heritage Sites. I continue to travel and visit many American history sites and national parks which is what ultimately drew me the Longfellow House-Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site. I am excited to help put the pieces together and help visitors understand the evolution of the neighborhood by mapping changes to the historic property using GIS Story Maps.

Ashley Crespo
Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation

Born and raised in New York, Ashley Crespo is a first year Masters of Landscape Architecture student at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. She completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Pennsylvania with a BA in Architecture and Environmental Science in May 2017. Since then, she has camped her way from New York to Alaska, exploring 31 states and many landscape wonders. This experience confirmed her passion for the outdoors and the realities of the human interactions with the surrounding environment. She continues her work as a Landscape Ecologist on Long Island and hopes her studies will inform better design practices to increase the quantity and quality of human connection to nature. When she is not out exploring, Ashley can be found sketching or learning how to snowboard.

Ramon Galvan
National Parks of Boston

Ramon was born and raised in a small town in Texas. As a freshman in high school, Ramon first operated a video camera during a live production of the Special Olympics held at his school. A college undergrad, he developed his cinematic sensibilities with the support of filmmakers Robb Moss and Guy Maddin. In between his junior and senior years, he worked as a staff production assistant for the first season of USA’s Colony. During his senior spring semester, he co-instructed an introductory media course at the Harvard Extension School with his colleague Dan Coffey. Ramon graduated from Harvard College in 2017 with a degree in English and a secondary field in Film/Video. Over the past several years he has worked for CS50, Harvard University’s largest course, as a video producer and outreach coordinator. Ramon has worked on various film projects in numerous roles. His latest film project is about his father. Besides his production work, Ramon values his teenage years he spent working at a barbecue restaurant. He writes and reads though these days he more often listens to music and podcasts. He currently lives in Somerville, Massachusetts.

Tanya Helbig
San Antonio Missions National Historical Park

My name is Tanya Helbig, and I was born in Kiel, Germany, but raised in San Antonio Texas. I am a second-generation college student working towards an undergraduate degree at St. Mary’s University in Environmental Science and minoring in Business Administration. I have worked on projects during my undergrad that involved sustainability, conservation, and environmental management. My goal in life is to promote sustainability in all communities, and inspiring others to become more environmentally active. I aspire to work with either non-profit organizations or government agencies relating to environmental management. I am proud of my Mexican/German culture because it has made me the diverse and open-minded person I am today. In my free time, I enjoy getting out of the city and going to parks to enjoy nature. National parks have always had a special place in my heart and have been the reason I cherish the preservation of natural environments.

Patsy Herrera
Minute Man National Historical Park

Patsy Herrera is an undergraduate Biology major with a concentration in Environmental Science and a minor in Anthropology from Montclair State University. Born and raised in New Jersey, Patsy and her twin brother are first generation Mexican-Americans. Her interests focus on research and doing fieldwork in ecological agriculture that aids in conservation and food scarcity in underprivileged communities. During her undergraduate studies, she was part of a research project in Madagascar led by a Montclair State professor as a field assistant, an intern for PSEG Institute for Sustainable Studies, STEM Pioneer Mentor, and Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation mentor and scholar. She also enjoys learning about soil science, insects, data analytics, permaculture, and making GIS maps. In her free time she enjoys painting, gardening, going on picnics with friends, and volunteering for nonprofits that support underrepresented people. Patsy will be completing her undergraduate degree in May 2020. She is grateful to be part of LHIP this summer with the people at Minute Man National Historical Park.

Abigail Houkes
Southeast Archeological Center (SEAC)

Abigail Houkes is a Mexican-American recent anthropology graduate from Florida State University. During her undergraduate career, Abigail focused on researching biological anthropology, specifically osteological analysis of different populations and researching forensic anthropology at the University of South Florida. Also, during her time in undergrad, Abigail was involved in her local community through a community service co-ed fraternity, Alpha Phi Omega. Her passion for community service can be seen through working on the Menstrual Hygiene Project, which assists in providing menstrual hygiene materials to the local homeless shelters and being on the leadership board for three consecutive semesters. In the future, in fall 2020, Abigail will begin her master’s program in anthropology studying forensic anthropological methodologies in the hopes of helping victims and their families. Other passions Abigail has is hiking, cross-stitching, thrifting, attending music concerts, and going to her local coffee shops.

Justin Marcano
Everglades National Park

Justin Curtis Marcano is an undergraduate student attending Tulane University. Justin is entering his senior year of university pursuing a triple major bachelor’s degree in Anthropology, Environmental Studies and Philosophy. Born to immigrant parents of Cuban and Venezuelan descent, in Miami, Justin is eager to begin his work as a Cultural History Education Intern with Everglades National Park. Justin will be working closely with the park’s Division of Resource Education and Interpretation, the archives program under the South Florida Collection Management Center and park scientist under the South Florida Natural Resource Center to finalize and grow curriculum focused on the area in the park identified as the “Hole in the Donut” (HID).

Andrea Miralles-Barboza
Cultural Resources, Partnerships and Science and NPS Citizen Science Steering Committee

A Maryland native, Andrea Miralles-Barboza is a Venezuelan American who grew up in Miami, Florida. Having grown up in areas shaped by water and other natural resources, she became interested in human-natural systems and how environmental issues could be addressed by studying humans. She received a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and Policy in May 2018 at the University of Maryland where she was able to attend an environmental field school in New Zealand that emphasized the need to collaborate with local communities when doing environmental research. She is now back at the University of Maryland pursuing an M.S. in the Marine Estuarine Environmental Sciences (MEES) program. She has also done work in environmental advocacy, consulting and lab research. Currently, she researches the social science of climate change displacement, looking at groups who are highly vulnerable to issues of climate change like sea level rise. In the future, she hopes to be able to contribute to developing accessible and appropriate climate change adaptation plans that consider not just environmental vulnerability, but social vulnerability as well. In her free time, she likes to spend time outdoors, cook, hike, sing and make tequeños.

Mayra Ramos
Fort Raleigh National Historic Site

Mayra Ramos is a college student pursuing her associate's degree in math and science. As a first-generation college student, she wants to set an example for her younger siblings and be an active member of her community. She volunteers for a local preservation center in southern California. Her interest in conservation and education has inspired her to eventually earn a bachelor's degree in environmental studies. She hopes that in the feature she can be in a position to teach others how to be good stewards of their environments. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, sightseeing, hiking, and taking landscape photos.

Jazciel Solis
San Antonio Missions National Historical Park

Jazciel is an undergraduate student attending Our Lady of the Lake University. She is going on her third year of college pursuing a bachelor’s degree in English with a concentration in technical and professional writing, and a drama minor. Being a first-generation college student, she hopes to help her community with her education. Jazciel was raised to have a caring heart, she hopes to help people by becoming a grant writer to help non-profits. Jazciel has always loved nature parks and admired them for their peaceful tranquility.