Jose Esparza (he/him) was born in Guadalajara, Jalisco. For the majority of his life, he grew up on the Central Coast of California. He graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a BA in Geography/Environmental Studies in 2019 and was also a Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program (DDCSP@UW) alumni. Since graduating, he’s been… Continue Reading Jose Esparza
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Luis(he/him)’s first memories of “nature” as a space to recreate was when he worked as a dishwasher at a Boy Scouts of America summer camp on Catalina Island at the age of 17. He would finish his daily duties and join the high-adventure scouts on their moonlight night kayaking… Continue Reading Luis Elorreaga
Stephanie Elise Rios (she/her) grew up in Tulare, CA and moved out to Monterey, CA to attend CSU-Monterey Bay where she studied Environmental Science with a concentration on Watersheds. She grew up with much appreciation for the great outdoors, especially with Sequoia National Park as her backyard. Now, she helps connect others to local nature… Continue Reading Stephanie Elise Rios
Jess (she/them) is currently living in Santa Cruz, but she’s originally from Los Angeles County. She studied environmental studies and sociology at UC Santa Cruz and she’s now the Student and Community Programs Manager for an environmental education nonprofit, The Bird School Project. She loves facilitating experiences for youth and adults to build their connection… Continue Reading Jessica Correa
Carlos (he, him, él) is a bilingual naturalist and outdoor educator who grew up in Ensenada, Baja California, México, and now lives in Long Beach, California. Carlos works with elementary through High School-aged students in a variety of outdoor education settings. Through Crystal Cove Conservancy at Crystal Cove State Park and Marine Protected Area, Carlos… Continue Reading Carlos Collins
Alyssa (she/her) was raised in North Carolina by Chinese immigrant parents, and recently moved to Portland after becoming fascinated with the socio-cultural landscapes of the Pacific Northwest. Formative experiences with seasonal fieldwork and trail maintenance led her to earn a B.A. in geography from UNC-Chapel Hill and sparked her interest in helping staff at mainstream… Continue Reading Alyssa Chen
Jini (she/her) is the founder of Headlamp, a platform to discover and book female+ guides outdoors. Growing up, she didn’t have much access to the outdoors, nor did she know any “outdoorsy” people. She fell in love with outdoor sports later in life, starting with hiking and backpacking in her late 20s and then eventually… Continue Reading Shinjini Chatterjee
Glen Catlin Ami (he/him) was born in Silver Spring, Maryland. He moved with his family in 1996 to Billings, MT, where most of his formative years. He spent much of this time traveling with his parents to his home reservation: Ft. Berthold, The Three Affiliated Tribes: Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara, located along the Little Missouri… Continue Reading Glen Catlin Ami
Italia (she/they) was born in Santiago Ixcuintla, Nayarit and raised in Southeast Los Angeles. Her journey as an environmentalist started at the age of 11. In an effort to clean up their city, Italia would walk to and from school collecting trash along the way. In college, she was an outdoor educator for underserved youth… Continue Reading Italia Salvaje
Barbara (she/her) was born in Teocaltiche, Mexico and moved to California as a kid. She was inspired to follow a career in habitat restoration after witnessing the disproportional impact that climate change has on BIPOC communities. Barbara has a degree in Forestry and Natural Resources from UC Berkeley. Prior to joining Grassroots Ecology, she worked… Continue Reading Barbara Camacho Garcia