STEM Ambassadors

Para la Naturaleza es una unidad del Fideicomiso de Conservación de Puerto Rico dedicado a la conservación de espacios con alto valor ecológico de las islas de Puerto Rico. Por más de 50 años la organización sin fines de lucro ha educado e impactado a través de experiencias educativas, voluntarias y de ciencia ciudadana a diversos públicos y audiencias de diferentes edades, intereses y trasfondos académicos.

Growing up in Guam, we are always surrounded by nature–whether picnicking with family by the beach, hiking with friends on a Saturday, or admiring the sunset views from a favorite restaurant in Tumon. Yet, despite this constant immersion in nature, our environmental science classes rarely include locally relevant examples. In middle school and biology classes, I learned scientific concepts through examples from various states in the U.S., but it was not until taking an Environmental Biology course that I encountered biology through locally relevant examples.

Before the STEM Ambassador Program, my skills were mostly tailored to field work capabilities which would include scuba diving, mainly coral disease treatment since it is currently the work that I am doing; although I have not had much engagement in sharing my knowledge or information on the work that I do to the community. Through the STEM Ambassador Program, I was able to gain designing, immersion, and engaging skills in order to create my own engagement activity for the community.