San Francisco / Oakland cohort
Jamila Catacoly (she/her/hers) is a proud Colombian Latina and currently a college student studying cultural anthropology striving to minor in environmental studies. Jamila has always had an interest in the outdoors as a child; their parents never crowding them with Gameboys and constant TV time and instead would take them to the park or camping at a young age as a nice escape from the city. Years passed without the outdoors, noticeably taking a toll on Jamila’s life, but luckily in high school they got the opportunity to go on a backpacking trip. This trip opened their mind to new ideas of how to see society and its connection to nature and opened doors to new experiences. For Jamila, the Outdoor Educators Institute is a way to learn about new ideas, how to communicate with people about the importance of the outdoors, and teach people, especially within their own community, that we shouldn’t associate outdoor activities with white people, it’s for everyone and everyone has the right and should get resources to enjoy it.