Essay ExcerptsDawn of the Latina EnvironmentalistComing from a large Ecuadorian family of machinists, teachers, contractors, and seamstresses, I wondered where my passion for environmentalism and conservation originated. I was a freshman sitting in my Thursday afternoon Chicano Studies lecture when it finally clicked. That day Dr. Castillo lectured on the concept of rasquache--a perspective that combines “inventiveness with a survivalist attitude”. In this bipartite term, I saw my grandmother at the sink washing dishes over a bucket used to water her garden, my mother storing leftovers in repurposed sauce jars, and my father using his self-taught handyman skills to repair his car with scavenged parts. In what my professor defined as rasquache, I saw how the challenges of growing up in South America with scarce resources fostered a deeply ingrained aptitude for sustainable thinking and making the most with the least.
Reflecting on my family’s rasquachismo; my dad helping me build the best solar water heater in my AP Environmental Science class, fearlessly demonstrating the stinging mechanism of bees using his calloused hands, and my mom filling up weekends with Los Angeles Natural History Museum trips, I see that my passion for environmental science, ecology, and conservation is largely a reflection of my cultural background. After years of trying to detach myself as much as possible from Latino culture with its overbearing mothers, deep family ties, and loud traditions, I am now beginning to embrace these influences and how they have shaped my passion for ecosystems and environmental stewardship. From the Invasive Grass Seeds, A Scientist GerminatesNothing could have prepared me for the first day of fieldwork. I had just finished my first year at the University of California, Santa Barbara and I was reveling in the success of completing three quarters of general chemistry and calculus. I thought I had crossed the rubicon of challenging myself in college. I was wrong.
I woke up at 4 AM that summer day and drove two and a half hours through the middle of nowhere to meet up with a graduate student and other interns from Hillary Young’s community ecology lab. We made our way to the Tejon Ranch Conservancy in Southern California where the dry, piercing grass seeds quickly left me acutely aware of the hiking boots and sturdy pants that I lacked. After four grueling hours spent trekking through gooseberry thorns at high elevation and catching insects with my bare hands, we piled back into the dusty field truck. I was beginning to set my mind on the long drive back home when the graduate student explained we had only completed the first of three replicates. Arriving home that night, I was dirty, sunburned, and bone-tired. But I was also filled with a sense of satisfaction and excitement for the weeks to come. This was field ecology! In those sweaty months of June-September at Tejon Ranch, I learned how to identify native plants and insects, fell in love with birds, made a best friend, and most importantly, realized that I wanted to pursue science in a context that is physically demanding, intellectually stimulating, and inherently rewarding. The Machinist's DaughterThough I did not give much thought to it at the time, metal has been a part of my life since my earliest memories. As the daughter of a machinist with over 35 years of practice, I grew up with a steadfast admiration of calloused working hands and a casual familiarity with the various drill bits and scraps of metal that found their way home with my dad. As my father’s daughter, I grew up knowing exactly what combination of copper coils and brass sheet metal would make me the best solar water heater in my high school Environmental Science class. Having seen firsthand the caliber of precision and knowledge that metal workers devote to their craft, I have always looked at the metals industry with respect and hope for a sustainable future.
I began my graduate studies last September in the School for Environment and Sustainability at the University of Michigan. 2,295 miles away from my dad, I did not expect my relationship with metal to take on new dimensions. In the Midwest, however, the rise and fall of industry giants like Ford, Chrysler, and General Motors have left salient and tangible marks on many communities which carry legacies of industrial pollution and harbor ghostly landscapes that reveal histories of once bustling cities and industry-derived wealth. My experience in these recovering communities that were once entirely supported by automobile manufacturers and industrial suppliers is one that has left me humbled by the resilience of those who stayed and the deep cultural roots they carry forward. |
ArticlesClick below to view a LinkedIn article I wrote while working at the Graham Sustainability Institute!
Click below to read an article written about me by the National Estuarine Research Reserve Association!
Click below to read my featured article on the Sustainable Food Systems Initiative website!
MediaClick below to watch the K-12 science education video I created as part of my interview process for the San Francisco Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve!
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