Sheridan Ray
Ever since I was a 17-year-old in my Austin community, I had seen inequalities in my own area and wanted to bring justice to these issues. My knowledge of these issues deepened when I became a student in the Park Ranger Cadet Practicum at Akins High School. I entered the class my junior year, and before the class, I had never had a passion for the outdoors. As a child, my family never really participated in recreational activities, such as kayaking, slacklining, etc. Although I knew I liked nature, I never actually found a passion for it until I joined the class. Additionally, I was also able to get involved with other groups such as, Just Keep Livin’ and became an intern with Keep Austin Beautiful. The Park Ranger practicum fortunately led into an internship with the Park Rangers of Austin which was paid, something that was of huge importance. As I got older and went into more environmental internships, I came across the opportunity to become a Community Climate Ambassador with the Office of Sustainability, an intern with the Texas Nature Conservancy, and an intern with Youth Forest Council. Now, I am a quad-chair with the Youth Leadership Working Group (YLWG), a communications intern at Families In Nature (FIN) and a digital media specialist at the Austin Civilian Conservation Corps (ACCC).
The evolving story of conservation work matters to me because I want to give the people who have historically been underrepresented a voice in today’s conservation work. We must all work together to become climate resilient by building and working with communities first, but all communities need to find a love of nature in order to want to fight for it.
Lastly, after the summer, I plan on continuing at the University of Texas at Austin as a senior, working to gain my Bachelor’s degree in Sustainability Studies with a minor in media studies. This summer I hope to spend more time outdoors and continue to get better at graphic design. I plan on continuing with ACCC, YLWG, and FIN past the summer, continuing to gain skills in videography, photography, and graphic design.