Ashley graduated from CSU-Long Beach at Puvungna with a degree in Communication Studies and enjoy artistically documenting nature’s wonders to tell stories and connect community. She's always loved nature and grew an appreciation of the outdoors while camping with her family and again hiking during the pandemic with friends.

She grew up in Huntington Park, CA, a small city in southeast LA, and is interested in how messages on environment and access are created and intersect, especially looking at the impact this has on communities and transportation.

As a community scientist working at Santa Monica Mountains, she gets to support engagements and lead programs in her second year as a Community Volunteer Ambassador. She helped create Las Montanas, our first Latino Conservation Week event, led volunteers for Xerces Western Monarch Count, and partnered with multiple community groups to provide naturalist programming. She has reimagined a milkweed collection project to educate on native plants, habitat for monarch butterflies, and highlight traditional ecological knowledge.