Category: Alumni

Alumni Share Their Stories in the EarthCorps Yearbook

The EarthCorps Yearbook is collecting stories from our vast network of alumni, community partners, and supporters. Today we are sharing a few entries from our incredible alumni. Gather round the campfire, because it’s time for some stories! Devyn Palm-TrujilloAlumni, 2019 What is a favorite memory from being at EarthCorps? Exploring the outdoors of the PNW,... Keep Reading about Alumni Share Their Stories in the EarthCorps Yearbook

International Alumni Share Their Stories in the EarthCorps Yearbook

A unique piece of the program at EarthCorps is the international cohort. A group of environmentalists from all over the world come together to learn from one another. By sharing in global expertise, the network and expertise of organizations everywhere improves. Today, we are sharing a few stories from our international alumni from the EarthCorps... Keep Reading about International Alumni Share Their Stories in the EarthCorps Yearbook

James Akedi: Speaking Up

We’re thrilled to share an EarthCorps Yearbook entry from James Akedi! James was an international corps member in 2002. He shares about trying new things, learning important skills, and speaking up for what you believe in. What did you learn at EarthCorps? I learned a lot at EarthCorps. I learned about environmental restoration, leadership, and... Keep Reading about James Akedi: Speaking Up

Amy Cirio: Finding Community through the Rings of a Tree

Amy Cirio was a corps member at EarthCorps in 2019 and crew lead in 2020. Passionate about environmental restoration and finding community, she is on a journey to dismantle her internalized white supremacy. Today, she works in environmental education at Mid Sound Fisheries Enhancement Group.  Most folks hear about EarthCorps through a friend of a... Keep Reading about Amy Cirio: Finding Community through the Rings of a Tree

Ana Cristina Andre: Empowering Women

Ana Cristina Andre was on the international corps in 2016 and served as a volunteer specialist in 2017. With a degree in forest engineering, she is currently working in Brazil at a packaging company where she focuses on watershed management and forest restoration.  EarthCorps is many things. The list includes a leadership development program, an... Keep Reading about Ana Cristina Andre: Empowering Women

Stories from the EarthCorps Yearbook

Did you know that 2023 marks 30 years of EarthCorps engaging in global leadership through local restoration? We have a rich tapestry of history made up of over 1,200 alumni, hundreds of homestays, countless volunteers, and too many community members and partners to name. We launched the EarthCorps Yearbook to capture some of this history.... Keep Reading about Stories from the EarthCorps Yearbook

Furthering Education for EarthCorps Alumni

EarthCorps hosted its first alumni event of 2023 last month! At the webinar, we heard from 5 alumni. Between them, we got to hear exciting research updates, tips and tricks for navigating higher ed., and insights into choosing the best path forward in an educational journey. We also shared a variety of resources, which are... Keep Reading about Furthering Education for EarthCorps Alumni

Olayiwola Bello: Sacrificing for the Planet 

 Olayiwola Bello is a 2016 EarthCorps alumni from Nigeria. He is currently working for a private firm in Nigeria doing Environmental Analysis. He believes in the importance of sacrificing for the planet. Olayiwola discovered EarthCorps thanks to the helpful recommendation of a friend. Having just graduated college with a degree in Agriculture from Federal University,... Keep Reading about Olayiwola Bello: Sacrificing for the Planet 

Fernando Silveria: Realizing that it is never too late to learn

Fernando Silveira served at EarthCorps as an international corps member in 2019 and volunteer specialist in 2020. He is passionate about connection with others and restoration of the Amazon Rain Forest. Today, Fernando works in agriculture education. He was introduced to the field while at EarthCorps and now gets to share classes, resources, and knowledge... Keep Reading about Fernando Silveria: Realizing that it is never too late to learn

Augustina Meh Ndum: Moving toward Passion 

Augustina was a 2018 International Corps Member. She has just finished studying environment system engineering and management at Memorial University in Newfoundland and hopes to use all she has learned to mitigate pollution.   Everyone who comes to Earth Corps has their own story for how they first learned of this organization. For Augustina, it was... Keep Reading about Augustina Meh Ndum: Moving toward Passion 

Michael Rockwell: Creating a World that does Not Need to be Restored 

Michael Rockwell served in multiple roles at EarthCorps between 2018 and 2022, including corps member, crew lead, habitat specialist, and alumni board fellow. He is currently completing an International MBA with a concentration in corporate sustainability at the Thunderbird School of Global Management.   As an Eagle Scout, Michael was no stranger to outdoor leadership. With... Keep Reading about Michael Rockwell: Creating a World that does Not Need to be Restored 

Brian Gardner: Fulfilling lifelong dreams in South Africa

Brian Gardner is a 2009 international corps alum from South Africa. He is currently an environmental consultant at Seaton Environmental where he works on impact assessments and environmental plans. Brian Gardner’s love for the environment began at a very early age. Born in Zimbabwe, he grew up in a family that deeply valued nature and... Keep Reading about Brian Gardner: Fulfilling lifelong dreams in South Africa

Unaisi Waqanivere: Trusting on an Enviromental Team 

Unaisi Waqanivere served at EarthCorps in 2011. Originally from Fiji, she currently works as a manager on the environmental team at Sinohydro Corporation Limited, an engineering and construction company.  Unaisi Waqanivere has always been passionate about protecting the environment. Her environmental background began in her home country of Fiji, but when Unaisi learned about EarthCorps,... Keep Reading about Unaisi Waqanivere: Trusting on an Enviromental Team 

Moriah Young:  Reflecting on “Aha” moments 

Moriah Young served as an EarthCorps member in 2016. She is currently a PHD candidate at Michigan State, now in her third year of an Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior program. She studies the effects of climate change on soil biota, plant, and insect herbivore interactions and more specifically, how soil microbes mediate those aboveground responses... Keep Reading about Moriah Young:  Reflecting on “Aha” moments 

Rinzin Lama: An Award-Winning Advocate for Snow Leopards

Rinzin Lama is a 2014 EarthCorps alum from Nepal. He currently leads a snow leopard conservation initiative based in Nepal. He is a Rolex Awards laureate for his work in promoting local initiatives for biodiversity conservation and was featured in Time Magazine as a Next Generation Leader. Rinzin Lama’s journey in conservation has always been tied... Keep Reading about Rinzin Lama: An Award-Winning Advocate for Snow Leopards

Elektra Mathews-Novelli: Seeing the Sliding Glass Door

Elektra was an EarthCorps member in 2007. She most recently worked for Pacific Watershed Associates as a Forest Hydrologist doing salmon habitat restoration and large wood implementation. Have you seen the movie Sliding Doors? If not, it’s about a woman trying to make a train and follows how seemingly inconsequential moments nonetheless alter the trajectory... Keep Reading about Elektra Mathews-Novelli: Seeing the Sliding Glass Door

Lauren Segarra: Experiencing Fieldwork

Lauren is a 2015 corps alum from South Carolina. She currently works for the Cle Elum Ranger District in the Okanogan Wenatchee National Forest in Washington, doing a new type of fieldwork. Lauren Segarra discovered EarthCorps thanks to the helpful recommendation of a friend. Having just graduated college with a degree in biology and ecology, Lauren was... Keep Reading about Lauren Segarra: Experiencing Fieldwork

Quena Batres ’14 wins Golden Tennis Shoe Award

EarthCorps alum Quena Batres (’14) was recently awarded a 2022 Golden Tennis Shoe award for her work in increasing access to outdoor sports for women of color. Quena, alongside co-founder Liselle Pires, launched Trail Mixed Collective in early 2021. The mission of Trail Mixed is to “increase representation of women of color in outdoor sports... Keep Reading about Quena Batres ’14 wins Golden Tennis Shoe Award

Vika Vysna: Building the Future through Restoration

Veronika (Vika) Vysna is a 2008 EarthCorps alumna from Slovakia. She currently works for Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union (EU), in Luxembourg. In 2007, Vika Vysna was between jobs, volunteering with a non-governmental organization (NGO) in the northern part of her home country of Slovakia. One day, the organization asked her whether... Keep Reading about Vika Vysna: Building the Future through Restoration

Eric Jensen: A Holistic Perspective on Conservation

Eric was a 2014 Corps Member. He is currently based in Colorado and works as a Data Scientist at Climate Engine, where he uses global climate and earth science datasets to help governments, companies, and organizations to meet their sustainability targets. Sometimes the right opportunity presents itself at just the right moment. Growing up in... Keep Reading about Eric Jensen: A Holistic Perspective on Conservation

Reigniting our Global Community

EarthCorps was founded on the vision that an international community of leaders can tackle the planet’s most pressing challenges and create a world where people and nature thrive together. For this to happen, we recruit Corps members from around the globe and make cultural exchange a core part of our program. And with alumni in... Keep Reading about Reigniting our Global Community

Ravi Prasad: Leading the Way for Global Green Recovery

Ravi was a 2014 International Corps Member. He is currently working for the UNDP as a monitoring and reporting specialist and is based in Fiji. Ravi Prasad has always felt connected to nature. Born and raised in Fiji, he grew up in a Pacific Island country known for its rugged landscapes and coral reefs. Ravi’s... Keep Reading about Ravi Prasad: Leading the Way for Global Green Recovery

Uncovering our Inner Agility: EarthCorps’ First Alumni Leadership Workshop

On August 5th, EarthCorps held its first ever virtual leadership development workshop for alumni. The 1.5 hour Zoom session focused on agility and adaptability in the workplace. The EarthCorps leadership development workshop allowed participants from around the globe to uncover their strengths as leaders in an ever-changing and complex world. Our facilitator, Kim, guided the... Keep Reading about Uncovering our Inner Agility: EarthCorps’ First Alumni Leadership Workshop

Mila Strashimirova: Finding a Likeminded Community

Mila Strashimirova was an EarthCorps member in 2007. She is currently based in Bulgaria as the coordinator for the CISCO Green Team at Concentrix. She shares about finding a likeminded community at EarthCorps. I was just out of university when I discovered EarthCorps. I had been volunteering in various environmental projects with Bulgarian NGOs and... Keep Reading about Mila Strashimirova: Finding a Likeminded Community

Olga Mikhaleva: A Journey of Self-Discovery

Olga Mikhaleva was an EarthCorps member in 2008.  Her home organization was and still is Great Baikal Trail.  She started as a seasonal field leader for GBT leading summer expeditions for many years, now she is the Environmental Education Program Coordinator.  Over the years, she has been developing her expertise in environmental education including a... Keep Reading about Olga Mikhaleva: A Journey of Self-Discovery

Why am I a part of EarthCorps?

Global changemakers reunited at EarthCorps

EarthCorps impacts the lands and waters of Puget Sound, but it is the impact on the person – how they see themselves, and how they choose to make a difference in our world – that makes EarthCorps unique.  This week, we were honored to host the first-ever EarthCorps International Alumni Summit, funded by the Trust for Mutual Understanding whose mission is... Keep Reading about Global changemakers reunited at EarthCorps

Building Humanity Through Volunteerism

Everyone smiles in the same language Bringing people from different walks of life together to care for our earth is a longtime dream of mine. And I got to realize it this past fall when EarthCorps supported me in hosting the first ever Arabic language volunteer event in West Seattle. People from Yemen, Egypt, Palestine,... Keep Reading about Building Humanity Through Volunteerism

Alumni Highlight – Lindsey Falkenburg

Lindsey Falkenburg EarthCorps Crew Leader 2014 Project/Program Manager EarthCorps How did you arrive at EarthCorps and what has EarthCorps given you? I went to college in Salem, Oregon and studied anthropology and biology. I graduated fairly directionless, as I think a lot of college students do, because I studied something that I enjoyed but didn’t... Keep Reading about Alumni Highlight – Lindsey Falkenburg

Alum Highlight – Lylianna Allala

“In taking responsibility for our own lives and work, in unmasking the connections of our labor and nature, we may find a way to break the borders that imprison nature as much as ourselves. Work, then, is where we should begin.” -Richard White Lylianna Allala Corps Member 2006 Crew Leader 2007 Climate Justice Director at... Keep Reading about Alum Highlight – Lylianna Allala

Alum Highlight – Nicole Marcotte

Nicole Marcotte Corps Member 2014 Stewardship Coordinator for Forterra First, describe your path from where you grew up to when you were at EarthCorps to where you are now. I was lucky to grow up in the forest of a very small town in Massachusetts. I was always very connected to the outdoors and spent a... Keep Reading about Alum Highlight – Nicole Marcotte

Alum Highlight – Brittany Le

Corps Member 2014 Volunteer Specialist 2015 Youth Programs Manager for the Washington Trails Association How did you arrive at EarthCorps? I never would have described myself as outdoorsy or athletic prior to arriving at EarthCorps. My family didn’t go camping or hiking. We never had much money so I never went skiing or snowboarding. Despite... Keep Reading about Alum Highlight – Brittany Le

The Power of Women Role Models

My first day at EarthCorps, less than 24 hours after I had dyed my hair a bright and distracting shade of blue, I walked into EarthCorps’ classroom for a workshop on non-profit management. I felt some anxiety and those familiar first day of work jitters. I had joined EarthCorps’ Crew Program late in the summer,... Keep Reading about The Power of Women Role Models

The Invaluable Lessons of AmeriCorps Service

I served as an AmeriCorps member with EarthCorps in 2007. My year of service taught me invaluable leadership and teamwork skills, a strong work ethic, how to manage money on a very meager budget, and instilled in me a spirit of volunteerism that still motivates me to serve my community. Working in close quarters with... Keep Reading about The Invaluable Lessons of AmeriCorps Service

EarthCorps Alumna featured at Sally Jewell’s Farewell

My story starts out like so many others. I was raised in Harlem, as an only child with a single mother, and a father I never knew.  For 20 years we lived in a subsidized, renovated tenement building, with walls so thin you could hear the rats scuttling around in the dark voids. Outside, the... Keep Reading about EarthCorps Alumna featured at Sally Jewell’s Farewell

Building my Career

It is now a year since I ventured out from the EarthCorps community into an unknown future. I would say I ventured away from the community, but the truth is EarthCorps has remained in my life as cherished memories and hard learned lessons. Now, in December, at the freezing-dreary end of the year, it is... Keep Reading about Building my Career

The Journey to becoming a Forester

I was a seasonal EarthCorps watering crew hire in 2006, right after I graduated from the University of Washington. I had never had a field job before EarthCorps. Ten years later, I now work for a public land management agency, and I don’t believe I would be on this career path that I love dearly... Keep Reading about The Journey to becoming a Forester