In this eleventh episode, host Emily Harwitz takes a closer look at career development programs specifically designed to give young people work experience in park and public land jobs. Many guests this season found their jobs in conservation by following wending paths toward their love for nature—and through a little bit of serendipity. That’s true for Alfonso Orozco who, guided by his own experiences navigating a career in parks and the outdoors, now leads the Career Pathways Grants Program at Parks California where he helps make job training programs possible and accessible.
One of the organizations that received a Career Pathways grant this year is the Santa Monica Mountains (SAMO) Fund, an official partner of the National Park Service. They help manage the award-winning SAMO Youth mentorship program for youth interested in exploring environmental careers. To share how this career development program works and how it changed their lives, today’s second featured guests are Adriana Barrera, Cecilia Lopez, and Javier Sandoval-Garcia, all former participants, and current staff of SAMO Youth.