18 May a whole new world – Samantha Ayala

¡Hola, bienvenidos a todos! My name is Samantha, but everyone just calls me Sam. I’d like to preface by saying how grateful I am to have this opportunity to be interning for LHIP this summer at Fire Island National Seashore as a Community Outreach and Education Intern. My parents both immigrated to the United States from Ecuador when they were around my age, and I’m so thankful for the love and support they have given me constantly- I credit them as much as myself for having this opportunity this summer. I hope to learn more about community outreach and hopefully influence people who visit Fire Island to inspire others to come visit as well to learn more about the importance of preservation and environmental conservation.

Some get-to-know-me information: I’m 20, I love reading, and I’m a soon-to-be graduate from Stony Brook University with my BA in Environmental Studies and BA in Political Science. Yes, the math is right there- I’m (somehow) graduating a year early! In the fall, I will be attending The New School as a candidate for my M.S in Environmental Policy and Sustainability Management. This internship is the first time I’m stepping into my field, and I hope to gain a lot of experience with it!

My goal for my degree is to not only use it for my own success and future well-being, but for that of others as well. I hope to one day give back to people who may not have the same voice or resources as I have had. This is what drew me to LHIP, in particular the Community Outreach and Education position at Fire Island. I hope to learn about reaching out to people in the community and engaging the Latine and Hispanic community on the importance of an environmental education, as well as showing them about the beautiful space Fire Island is and the tranquility and access to nature it is. To date, my biggest adventure is my study abroad trip take in 2019, and I hope to add my experience this summer to my new list of amazing adventures!

I can’t wait to update more with my blog posts about my summer and read about everyone else’s experiences! I’m wishing everyone an amazing summer full of learning and beautiful, new experiences!