San Francisco / Oakland cohort
Harkiran Singh is a first generation Indian-American who was born and raised in the San Joaquin County. From a young age, his parents would take him, his sisters, and family friends to camping by coastal California. Ever since those trips, his love for the outdoors has only grown, from camping in forests, to hiking, and even working at a national park. After a harsh first year of college studying Electrical Engineering at University of California, Riverside, Harkiran decided to try something different and something outside his comfort zone. In 2018, he found a job in the kitchen of Roosevelt Lodge in Yellowstone National Park. When he wasn’t in the kitchen cooking breakfast or cleaning, he would explore the park by hiking, camping, and even hitchhiking with new friends he had made. It was that experience that made it certain for him that he knew what he wanted to do – be in the outdoors and help others achieve it too. Harkiran hopes to expand his knowledge and interests on the outdoors, with the help and resources provided by OEI. He wants to be challenged so he can experience and learn more. He is an advocate for conserving natural lands and a believer that the outdoors should be more inclusive for all communities. It’s important to him that nature is accessible to all.