Mark Arenas
1) I am extremely excited to spend time in places I know little about and to learn with others that appreciate the outdoors! At first, we will be unfamiliar faces to one another but with time we will transition into a community that began an adventure that in the end, we will not want to abandon. I could not imagine a better way to enjoy my summer. Specifically, this program sparked my interest because it has goals to help diversify the conservation field. The focus on conservation not just from a research lens but also from an interdisciplinary perspective, made me want to be part of this program. I look forward to experiencing conservation efforts that go beyond research.
2) From my experience, conservation seems to be dominated by research or academia. I would like to contribute to the intermingling between conservation and other fields because there is currently a gap that limits conservation. I would like to make conservation relevant to everyday people by communicating science through forms that are not research papers. I would also like to shift the perception of conservation from one that has a history of being exclusive and underrepresented, to a more inclusive view that anyone can become part of.