Ana Karina began her academic journey at Moorpark College in Moorpark, CA the fall semester of 2017. She then transferred with an A.S in Biology to California State University Northridge and graduated in May of 2023 with a B.A in Biology. During her time in university, she discovered her love for the outdoors and became heavily invested in the ecology department. During this time, she was given the opportunity to assist in the research of the impact climate change is having on Joshua tree populations found in the Mojave Desert further sparking her interest in the field. Shortly after graduation, she became a Conservation Land Management intern with the Chicago Botanical Garden and was later hired as a Biological Science Technician by USGS in Boulder City, NV. As a first-generation college student who had minimal access to the outdoors growing up, she is excited to develop programs and volunteer opportunities aimed at introducing underrepresented populations to the field of ecology and conservation. She will be working at The Channels Islands National Park and is looking forward to learning more about the park itself, the volunteers who are passionate stewards of it and being able to share its beauty with others. In her free time, she does landscape paintings of places she has visited while working out in the field and swimming laps at the pool.