Promoting Career Awareness on Catalina

The Conservancy has a long history of supporting career awareness in the sciences and eco-tourism fields through our close work with Avalon School and beyond. Over the years, various programs have connected learners not only with the Island, but with career opportunities.

“All our lessons inspire interest in science and help build a relationship with nature,” said Education Program Manager Cressita Bowman. “But beyond that, they also help learners be curious, draw connections, and build confidence in themselves to consider going into a career field they didn’t necessarily realize was accessible or available to them.”

Students connect with the Conservancy throughout their schooling including core programs like Island Explorers and Course Catalina. Bowman takes fourth graders out to meet with the wildlife team during fox monitoring and care. Sixth graders work with the native and invasive plant teams, and this year’s seventh graders participated in a mock Eco Tour and created their own informative handouts. She has also helped connect students with job shadowing opportunities.

“Our programs expose students to a variety of different conservation and eco-tourism careers from a young age while providing the opportunity to explore and learn about Catalina Island,” added Bowman.

Wrigley Memorial & Botanic Garden Caretaker Joseph Vickers has worked with the Conservancy in various capacities for more than a decade – a dream that began at Avalon School where he participated in several programs led by the Conservancy. Ultimately, he became a Summer Naturalist, where he was in a role to teach visitors about the Island. Vickers took advantage of every opportunity to learn more about the Island he calls home and share it with others

“The programs provided a really well-rounded look at all the different facets of the Conservancy and helped me understand that a job in conservation doesn’t necessarily have to be as a biologist, but can be doing interpretation, outreach, fundraising, fixing roads, so much more,” he said. “I was totally hooked by the diversity of it all.”

Avalon School graduate Karla Gonzalez Silva recently joined the guest services team at the Trailhead visitor center. She has been on the Island for almost 20 years but said that her participation in the Conservancy’s education program quickly helped her realize how much she didn’t know about not only the Island, but also the organization.

“I used to think that Conservancy was just scientists working in the wildlands,” said Silva. “What I found most interesting during the program was all the different layers the Conservancy has, and by that I mean all of the different departments.”

She added that working with the Conservancy has given her a wealth of knowledge on how to meet and treat people and work as a team along with valuable career skills. “I hope to see new faces at the Trailhead!”

Explore current opportunities at CatalinaConservancy.org.