What do you do at Trustees? What’s your role?

I’m the Mobile Engagement Manager, which means that I have the great pleasure of running the Mobile Adventures! This is the Trustees’ traveling Urban Youth Program under the Urban Outdoors, designed to bring hands-on educational nature programming directly to kids and families in cities. In this role I proudly serve communities in Fall River, New Bedford and Boston by increasing access to nature through our signature Nature Play & Learn pop-up series and guided outdoor experiences.

Who are the members of your team? How do you work together?

I am a leader in the Urban Outdoors and collaborate alongside my colleagues in the Boston Community Gardens and One Waterfront to promote youth engagement and improve the quality of our public experiences. We pride ourselves on recognizing the lived experiences of folks in the city and do our best to make nature feel relevant to the communities we serve, such as increasing access to food, public spaces and education.

While in the field, I work alongside my wonderful team of Outdoor Educators, Katie Angle, Gillian Simmons M.D., and Sophia Santos. Together we design and facilitate a robust curriculum of youth activities that comprise our keystone series, Nature Play & Learn. We travel between Fall River, New Bedford and Boston in our customized electric van and proudly represent the Trustees’ mission in communities that have little access to green spaces.

On my day to day, I also have the great joy of sharing an office space with our Southcoast Horticulture team, in New Bedford’s beautiful Haskell Gardens.

How is the Trustees Mobile Adventures van meeting the needs of the communities it serves that the organization hasn’t been able to previously meet?

Mobile Adventures allows the Trustees to meet communities where they are. We can participate directly in major annual events and series in the cities we serve and make lasting partnerships with organizations that provide resources to underserved communities that don’t have regular access to the outdoors. We do this by activating urban green spaces in the summer with unique programming tailored to showcase and explore a variety of natural topics ranging from outdoorsmanship to ecology. During the school year we conduct these experiences indoors at local public spaces, such as libraries and community centers.

These events offer children the opportunity to handle and examine real natural specimens, learn why it’s important to protect the habitats they live in, and how they can get involved. The connections we make during these programs inspire the next generation of stewards and encourage them to practice what they’ve learned at their local conservation lands – including their nearby Trustees properties!

What are some recent accomplishments of the Mobile Adventures team?

This year we have developed deeper relationships with many community partners who we rely on to deliver our programs, especially during the school year when cold short days make it difficult to offer extracurricular outdoor programs for children.

A few of these key partners have been the Mayor’s Office of Fall River, who has generously cosponsored the funding needed to transport several large groups of families to the Copicut Woods for genuine outdoor experiences, and the New Bedford Parks Department, who have asked us to be a regular presence at their Ricketson Nature Center to deliver our Nature Play & Learn events throughout the school year.

What is your favorite program you were a part of this summer?

My favorite event coincides with my favorite topic we cover – a Marine Life study at TD Garden, for their 13th Annual Back to School Celebration. We were able to bring specimens collected at several Trustees properties, including whale bones (a jawbone and vertebrate) from Crane Beach! This offered an amazing opportunity for students across all of Greater Boston to handle, examine and draw their own incredible conclusions about artifacts from their wild neighbors. It was a pleasure to facilitate alongside colleagues in our marketing, Boston Community Gardens, and development teams to deliver this one-of-a-kind experience on the main floor of the Garden. There are even photos of Blades the Bruin magnet fishing at our station somewhere out there.

We celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15- October 15. What does celebrating Hispanic Heritage month mean to you? Why is it important that The Trustees celebrate this month?

To me Hispanic Heritage month is complicated. I’m mixed race, and my father and his family worked very hard to be seen as American, so when they came here from Colombia, he did his best to assimilate to the culture. This meant I was raised speaking English by choice, but in the Latino community it’s not always easy to fit in when Spanish isn’t your first language. Many second-generation immigrants are often viewed as not-Hispanic enough by some and not-American enough for others, so I have always really empathized with my peers and especially children who are struggling with their Hispanic identity like I did. This month gives second-wave Latinos like me an opportunity to recognize that being raised American doesn’t mean we are any less welcome to our culture, and that we have a community willing to embrace us.

At the Trustees I’m lucky that I also have a voice as a leader, and I have been very intentional about partnering with culturally focused organizations to make meaningful connections for the youth we serve – to connect them with their native and natural roots. We have tailored programs to best fit several cultural celebrations, such as the first annual Wateke by the Water – a Taino & Caribbean celebration, Dia de Kriansa – Cape Verdean Children’s Day, Viva Colombia, Indigenous People’s Day, Día de los Muertos, and more.

This is my small part in making the Trustees more inclusive and welcoming to my community, because many of the people of color we serve struggle with access to our properties or have little to no knowledge about our public lands until they were invited to one of our programs. My hope is that by continuing this work, more families will see themselves reflected in the outdoors, feel a sense of belonging in these shared spaces and know that they are real stakeholders in the landscape we care for together.

Do you have a favorite Trustees property?

I have several, but if I had to choose it would be the Haskell Public Gardens. I may be biased because that’s where my office is, but it feels like a home away from home to me, and that’s not just because I got a new couch. It really is a natural respite from the city that gives me energy whenever I visit, and I do visit often in my free time. It’s a prime location for hammocking and has many hidden spots to retreat to for peace-seekers, so if you haven’t had a chance to go, it really is a Southcoast gem that deserves the visit.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

My Wife and I had our first child in March, so day trips to explore and hike around the Southcoast with our daughter and two dogs has become my newest obsession. When relaxing at home I can often be found learning new melodies on guitar or reading a good Sci-Fi novel. I’m currently rereading Nightfall by Isaac Asimov.