03 Jun The Come Up

Hello Everyone,

My name is Brandon Barragan, and I’m the Interpretive intern for Point Reyes National Seashore. I think the photo above sums up my life pretty well, and that’s why I used it. I know for the first photo it should be one of just me for a good indication, but I really hate taking photos. I’m just absolutely terrible at it, and you will never find me taking a selfie. So in the photo you will find my beautiful fiancée, Daisy, my baby boy Cornelius, and me. We were celebrating his second birthday that day. The reason why that photo is so perfect is because those are some of the most important people in my life right now. I think a perfect day for me is one that is spent with them all day, like that day, which explains a lot about me, but since this is an intro I think I should give a little more background info than that.

My mom is from El Salvador and my dad from Colombia, but I was born and raised in the Bay Area. I have spent some time in both of their countries but I didn’t really learn too much Spanish there. Living in the Bay Area there is plenty of opportunity to learn though. However, when I moved away for school things became very different. I just graduated from Saint Mary’s College of California with a degree in Environmental Studies. When I went to the school and the nearby towns, it did not take long to notice that I was well in the minority. It was weird, because my home town was actually mostly black and Latino students. At St. Mary’s, it couldn’t have been more opposite. And while there were many people who didn’t see that as a problem, or even went out of their way to keep it that way, I did make some close friends there who helped get me through school and become more aware of the issues surrounding our community. It was there that I realized what I wanted to do with my life. As someone in Environmental Studies, my options are a bit vague. Many people say with that degree they will go save the world. Which would be great, but how? I remember freshmen year someone condescendingly said to me, “What can you do with that, be a park ranger?” I thought about it and replied, “yeah.” It was too late for me to become a pro-cyclist like lots of my friends, so this was the new goal. After that, I began making the necessary moves towards having that career and now I’m here.

In all honesty, I am incredibly excited to work for LHIP. Everything I could have ever wanted in a job is right here. I’ve wanted to work as a park ranger for a few years now, and I’ve wanted to live in Point Reyes for even longer. I remember coming out here with my mom to clean houses, and I told her “One day I’ma live out here and you won’t clean no mo houses mama.” Now I’m here and I’m not leaving. I heard a rumor about somebody doing a really good job and getting a full time job. If there’s a chance, I’m taking it because this job is giving me the opportunity to do my part for the environment. I may not be talented or smart enough to save the world, but maybe I can influence someone who is.