Jaylyn (she/her/hers) is a 20-year-old college student studying geography. She chose geography because it studies an area’s overall history, including environmental and socioeconomic aspects. The state of one’s being can be traced back and Jaylyn recognizes this in every piece of land. Outside of academics, she enjoys moving her body by running, hiking, and basically… Continue Reading Jaylyn Petra Areizaga
Adriana Becerra (she/her) is joining OEI because she is interested in a career in outdoor education. She was raised in the Central Valley, Visalia, California, and attended Fresno State University to pursue a degree in Liberal Arts to become an elementary school teacher. Adriana recently completed a very fulfilling internship with SCICON, an outdoor science… Continue Reading Adriana Becerra
Rafael Gomez (he/him/his) was born and raised in the city of Fresno, California. Rafa spent a lot of his youth observing his community and wondering about the causes of the conditions he saw and the forces at work that brought people such as himself, his family, and friends, to their present conditions as well as influencing… Continue Reading Rafael Gomez
Eduardo De Leon (he/his) was born and raised in Fresno, CA. He is very interested in sustainable technology, sustainable agriculture, and restoring/remediating our ecology. As a mycologist, Eduardo is a fanatic of all things mushrooms and likes to cultivate gourmet mushrooms, as well as cook them and create old and ancient dishes. He is rooted… Continue Reading Eduardo De Leon
Natalie Delgado (she/hers) identifies as an outdoor enthusiast, scholar, and artist. In 2017, she graduated from Syracuse University with a Bachelor of Science in Educational Studies and a minor in Latin-American Studies. She spent most of her time in the mental health field where she developed students’ socio-emotional skills and aided survivors of domestic violence.… Continue Reading Natalie Delgado
Jacqui Montero(they/she) is the program director of a summer camp in Groveland, CA whose mission is creating accessible programming for individuals with disabilities. In their off-time, they enjoy sewing, cooking, hiking, kayaking, and birding. Jacqui is excited to return to OEI as a program assistant, after participating as a member of Fall 2021’s Fresno cohort!… Continue Reading Jacqui Montero
Verónica Ramírez (she/her) was raised in the heart of California, the San Joaquin Valley. She has a B.S. in Environmental Science from the University of California, Merced. With the support of her family and friends, Verónica studied abroad in Auckland, New Zealand, where she was introduced to the kiwi bird and the Māori culture. She… Continue Reading Verónica Ramírez
Pronouns: she/her Project: a consistent community of support for foster youth, utilizing nature as the main connector, healer, and space of learning. Audience: children and youth who have been separated from one or both parents due to cycles of systemic oppression. “The huge long term goal: Radical community based support for foster youth, including but… Continue Reading Rachael Meyers
Vanessa (she/her) is an educator, advocate, and lover of the outdoors. She is passionate about working with and advocating for BIPOC folks, especially Black youth, to have access to the natural world, healthy food, and environmental justice. In her current role as the Environmental Education Programs Manager at the SF based nonprofit, CommunityGrows, she teaches… Continue Reading Vanessa Williams
Born and raised on the east coast, Joi (she/her/hers) is an artist and educator currently based out of Oakland She is a founding member of Latitude High 37.8, where she gets to celebrate and support young people as they navigate the world. As a visual storyteller, Joi enjoys documenting relationships between people and place. She is deeply inspired… Continue Reading Joi Ward