EDUCATION

Developed and facilitated environmentally-related, on-campus opportunities by collaborating with internal and external partners and creating educational material and activities to increase environmental knowledge and encourage sustainable choices among the student body, faculty, and staff

November 2018 - April 2019

DIRECTOR OF SUSTAINABILITY,
FIU STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION

Helped coordinate environmentally-related, on-campus opportunities, such as tabling events and panels
Helped develop solar energy and waste reduction initiatives that promote sustainability on campus

November 2019

STUDENT PARTICIPANT,
FIU IN DC'S FLY-IN SERIES

Engaged in water policy making and advocacy through a three day program in Washington, D.C.
Visited multiple sites, including the Environmental Protection Agency, Capitol Hill, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

August 2017 - April 2020

HONORS COLEGE STUDENT,
FIU HONORS COLLEGE

Completed Honors College requirements under Florida International University, which included taking globally-focused courses, studying abroad, and attending events and programs to supplement learning outside of the classroom

LEARN: Experience

INTERNSHIP:
OFFICE OF UNIVERSITY SUSTAINABILITY

In my freshman year at Florida International University, I joined the Office of University Sustainability as an intern to begin gaining professional skills in community-based environmental education and outreach. For a year and a half, I coordinated and facilitated environmentally-related events for the student body by collaborating with internal and external partners. This included events around holidays related to the environment, such as World Water Day, in which we set up a tabling event with over 5 organizations where students could learn about the importance of protecting water. I also created educational material and activities to increase environmental knowledge and encourage sustainable choices among the student body. This included games, presentations, and other types of activities that would engage students on campus as we taught them about the environment and sustainability. In addition, I often led volunteer days at the FIU Nature Preserve in which I gave tours of the preserve and provided guidance on tasks.

For my involvement on campus, I was awarded multiple Nature Preserve Endowments from the university. This internship became the foundation for the professional skills I have today because it exposed me to education and outreach efforts for environmental awareness and action. I was also able to make my first professional and personal connections within my field of choice. I'm grateful that I had this opportunity to help improve Florida International University's efforts around environemntal awareness and action.

LEARN: Text

LEARN: Pro Gallery

STUDY ABROAD:
NORTHWESTERN COSTA RICA

For the month of December in 2018, I studied abroad in Costa Rica. Under Florida International University's Honors College, I traveled with a dozen other students across multiple cities in the northwest region. Prior to my trip, we took a class together focused on sustainable eco-tourism in general, using Costa Rica as a case study. Our trip to Costa Rica was the secondary part of that course to see what we had learned in action!

From San Jose and Monteverde, to Puntarenas and Isla Chira, we spent our days learning about how Costa Rica has implemented sustainability throughout their sectors, including tourism, education, agriculture, and more. This was done through tours on sustainable farms and through pristine rainforests. My class and I also spent a few days volunteering on Isla Chira with a women's cooperative and a local school. We also participated in many adventure activities, like zip-lining and river rafting.

This experience was transformative for me. Academically and professionally, I gained an immense amount of knowledge about environmental sustainability on all scales. For the first time, I saw the solutions to the issues I care about in action. Personally, I grew as an individual. I traveled on my own for the first time and experienced uncomfortable, but necessary, situations in the rougher parts of our trip. Best of all, I exposed myself to an incredible culture I had not been immersed in before and came back to the United States with newfound values and perspectives on life.

LEARN: Text