Meet Nature for All’s First Outdoor Education Apprentices

Amaris is a first generation and Dacamented student at UCSC. She is taking her last course back home and online through BYU independent study. She is an aspiring botanist with an interest in natural history, plants and curation. She has worked with avian, entomology, mammal and plant collections during her time working and interning at the UCSC Norris Center. Amaris joins Nature for All in hopes to expose herself to the outdoors where she can gain a sense of belonging, face her fear of wildlife and bring her interest in natural history to her SELA community as well as equitable access to the outdoors.

Angel Vázquez is a first gen Loyola Marymount University alumnus from Compton, CA. He studied Chicanx Latinx Studies and is currently a substitute teacher and middle school basketball coach. During his free time, he enjoys traveling, cycling, bouldering,  playing basketball and hiking. Over the pandemic, he began hiking with friends and quickly fell in love with the outdoors, quickly noticing a huge underrepresentation. He is extremely excited to be a part of the Nature for All team as an Outdoor Education Apprentice and hopes to gain more knowledge on California’s ecology, meet like-minded individuals, and learn about more career pathways in order to better inform his community so that they too can enjoy and take space in outdoor activities and knowledge.

Anthony Scott graduated from Westchester High school. After high school, he decided to go into the construction field. He is a very active person that loves getting out of the house, playing sports, doing paintball, and exploring nature. He loves all animals but especially loves reptiles. He has been interested in them since he was a kid. He wishes to learn from Nature For All how to have a better understanding of nature and about the environment that animals live in. He also wants to learn about all of the native plants and animals. He wants to be able to teach others about nature and wildlife.

Gicela Galvez is currently studying Geography/Environmental Studies to understand the relationships between people and the environment through a spatial lens. Their passion for urban, spatial, and environmental justice stems from growing up as an Indigenous Oaxacan in Central Los Angeles, where the access to green space was difficult for their family. They savored any opportunity that allowed their family to visit Griffith Park or Kenneth Hahn Park. By virtue of their upbringing, they believe inner-city, low-income youth of color deserve the right to be able to access the outdoors to ensure physical, educational, and social development. She joins Nature For All as an Outdoor Education Apprentice to further develop their teaching abilities, learn about California Native ecology, and return to her communities as a resource.

Josias Herrera is one of the proud members of the Outdoor Education Apprenticeship. Born and raised in California by immigrant parents, he takes pride in his Mexican heritage. Growing up Josias enjoyed Nature on PBS and BBC documentaries that helped cultivate his love for the natural world and all the creatures we share this planet with. Josias is a current college student majoring in Zoology and some of his hobbies include drawing, photography, watching Rams football, and Dodger baseball. Josias’ goal is to have a career with wildlife conservation. He enjoys learning about California ecology, and talking to people about the amazing animals that they encounter. Josias wants to be part of the change that creates our world to be a better place for future generations to enjoy.

Melissa Lizaola is working towards her Bachelor’s Degree in Education from Scripps College. She was born and raised in Southeast Los Angeles, and proudly represents her city of Huntington Park. Melissa has always loved the environment and animals since she was a little girl so being able to be an Outdoor Educator Apprentice is a dream! She recognized a disparity in green spaces, clean air and educational opportunities within her community. Melissa hopes to obtain as much experience as she can to not only spread the knowledge to her communities, but find ways to implement opportunities for others to explore the outdoors and their passions.