29 May About me: Ilianna Padilla

Hi there! My name is Ilianna Padilla. I am 22 years old and just recently graduated from Cal State Long Beach with a B.A. in Geography. I am passionate about anything that has to do with people, places, and the environment! I have lived in Los Angeles all my life, and it is a place where you can get stuck in a concrete jungle. If you look carefully and eagerly, you can find nature all around you. So, when I am not in class, I am outdoors looking for and experiencing nature. My interest in the environment began in high school as I began learning more about what is happening across the world. I felt eager to help in any way, but didn’t exactly know how. It wasn’t until I started college that I realized what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I had an amazing geography professor who inspired me to pursue environmental sciences and study geography. I became much more conscientious about my lifestyle and about our delicate ecosystems. I love to travel and explore new cities. I fortunately have a family who enjoys taking trips! Every year we go somewhere new. We either choose to visit a national park, like Yosemite or Sedona, or we travel somewhere outside of the country like the Caribbean. Every place we have visited has been such a mind opening experience. I love learning about different cultures and visiting diverse natural environments. My favorite trips have been to Spain and Costa Rica. Other hobbies of mine include reading, photography, cycling, and hiking! Thinking about the future is always exciting because there are so many things I want to accomplish. I am planning on going to graduate school in the Fall of 2016 to earn a masters in geography. I aspire to be an environmental educator as well as work in the natural resource conservation field. I want to help improve and protect out natural resources for future generations while helping people make connections with nature. This internship could not have presented itself at a more perfect time. Venturing into this internship this summer will be a new challenge, and I believe in embracing challenges that will push me to do my best. I want to be a part of nurturing the circle of environmental learning because it has helped change my life in a positive way. Which is why I am so excited to begin working with the Latino Heritage Internship Program and breath in the fresh air of Point Reyes National Seashore!