Meet the Staff

Allison Collins | Director

Allison Collins grew up outside of Salinas, CA, the "salad bowl of the world".  She is a graduate of UC Davis with a BA in Human Development and a minor in Education. She received her Multiple Subject Teaching Credential from Cal State TEACH and completed a Master’s in Educational Leadership with an Administrative Credential from San Jose State University. Her passions in regard to outdoor education include increasing access and equity for all students and staff in the field, and a focus on positive social and emotional learning experiences. Her journey in outdoor education started right here at Jones Gulch as a naturalist intern in the 2008-2009 school year, and since then she has spent time as a naturalist, a 6th grade teacher, an afterschool programs coordinator, and as principal of San Joaquin County Office of Education’s Outdoor Education program.  She enjoys reading, cooking, and epic forest walks. She likes traveling by train and has been to all 50 states. She speaks Spanish, sings and plays the guitar. She has lived at Jones Gulch for 7 years and has a third grader at La Honda Elementary. It has been said that Allison can do anything more efficiently than you! She is returning to SMOE for a 4th year. Allison’s nature name at outdoor education is Sorrel.

Jonathan Harris | Program Manager/Principal

Jonathan Harris grew up in Belmont, California, and he is a proud graduate of Fox Elementary, Ralston Middle and Carlmont High Schools.  He received two bachelor’s degrees from UCLA in Germanic Languages and History, with an emphasis in West African & Diaspora History. After working in summer camps and pre-schools for many summers through high school and college, Jonathan found himself at the University of San Francisco for his multiple subject teaching credential. He taught first and fourth grades at Belle Haven Elementary in the Ravenswood City School District for 6 years before moving to Ocean Shore Elementary School in Pacifica to teach a 4/5th Grade class for twenty years.  Throughout his time in the classroom, Jonathan has loved nothing more than to teach in the great outdoors, organizing many overnight field trips and hikes.  He loves to mentor new educators and has taught in the teacher credentialing program at San Francisco State and had many student teachers over the years. Nature journaling, music, gardening, cooking and birding are among Jonathan’s passions, and he loves to share them with his two children and many students.  Jonathan speaks Spanish and German and has had the pleasure of visiting 38 countries. It has been said that while everyone is no more than 6 degrees of separation from Kevin Bacon, they are only 3 degrees from Jonathan. His nature name at Outdoor Education is Jay.

Amanda Lee | Outdoor Education Information and Registration

Amanda Lee grew up in San Francisco, CA and is a graduate of the University of San Francisco with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Child and Youth Studies. She holds a program director permit in early childhood education and has built her communication and leadership skills with over ten years of working with children and fostering relationships with families. As site coordinator at St. Francis Preschool, she oversaw all program activities and events, managed staff and schedules, and led staff and parent meetings. She has also worked as both a teacher and coordinator at Gateway Child Development Center and as a teacher at Balboa Preschool. She has worked as a camp counselor, a site supervisor of a YMCA preschool, and as a swim teacher working with children ranging from infants to teens. She is highly skilled at managing an office, using technology, and interfacing with the public. She grew up going on annual camping trips with her family and joining the Salesian Boys’ and Girls’ Club on their sleep-away camps. She enjoys rock climbing, biking, baking, swimming, and traveling. She likes to explore new trails and hikes throughout the Bay Area. She likes Disney and is also a Golden State Warriors fan. She speaks and understands Cantonese. She has worked at the San Mateo County Office of Education for almost 6 years, and this will be her fifth year working with Outdoor Education. It’s been said Amanda has the answer to any problem you may have, if you only ask!

Joshua Stacy | Senior Naturalist

Joshua grew up in Baltimore, Maryland and spent their summers in the Appalachian Mountains of Maryland and Virginia. They are a graduate of Earlham College with a BA in Music. While growing up, they spent much of their free time exploring any green space and riparian sliver they could find within the urban landscape. They were mentored in wilderness awareness and tracking by their cousin and through their summer camp experiences. Their work as a naturalist started with an internship with San Joaquin Outdoor School which turned into a 15-year career of being both Naturalist and Program Director with Exploring New Horizons. They are an exceptional naturalist and through their many years in the field have mentored and inspired others in the understanding and love of the natural world. As an avid birder and photographer, Joshua has observed more than 700 species of birds and is able to identify birds by their calls. They participate in Sequoia Audubon Society events as well as other citizen science opportunities through eBird and iNaturalist. They are a through-hiker, completing over 20,000 miles on three continents including, the Pacific Crest Trail, The Continental Divide Trail, and the Appalachian Trail. They have also traversed Iceland and the Cordillera Blanca Range in the Andes of Peru. They have biked over 4,000 miles across the US, from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. Joshua has played the cello since the age of 4; touring and performing across the US as well as Austria, Germany, and the Czech Republic. They are particularly interested in adapting the cello to all genres of music. They are returning to SMOE for a 4th year. It is their 20th year living and working as a Naturalist in Pescadero Valley. It's been said that Joshua channels Yo Yo Ma and has hiked with a cello farther than anyone else on the planet. Joshua’s nature name at Outdoor Education is Bobcat.

Tim Daly | Health Care Specialist

Tim Daly grew up in Los Angeles, CA and is a graduate of Willamette University with a B.A. in Environmental Science. When Tim was in 6th grade, he attended an outdoor education program outside of Sequoia National Park that inspired him to connect more deeply with nature and pursue a career in the sciences. As a young adult, Tim volunteered with numerous non-profits in the L.A. area to create greenspaces and community gardens around the city. Throughout college, Tim volunteered and worked at Willamette’s Zena Forest and Farm where he practiced and taught about sustainable agriculture and silviculture. Tim has worked in outdoor education for 6 years and his career has taken him across the entire West Coast of North America. After finishing his internship at SMOE in 2016, Tim worked as the Summer Program Director of the Wrangell Institute for Science and the Environment in Kenny Lake, Alaska, and then taught at Exploring New Horizons, Loma Mar for 4 years. Additionally, Tim worked as the Summer Interpretive Specialist at Portola Redwoods State Park in 2018 and at Butano State Park in 2019. When he’s not teaching, Tim loves to find his way out into the backcountry of the Sierra Nevada and Cascades. He enjoys mountaineering, rock climbing, scrambling, gravel biking and trail running. It has been said that he has survived eating only trail mix since college! Tim’s nature name at Outdoor Education is Raptor.

Neil Richardson | Garden Coordinator/Naturalist

Neil Richardson grew up in Santa Clara, California and is a graduate of Humboldt State University with a B.S. in Environmental Management and Protection/Environmental Education and Interpretation. He received training in project WET and Project Learning Tree and served as a Project Learning Tree coordinator at local schools. As an Environmental Education Program Designer he created curriculum for 5th grade students and taught in a variety of habitats. As a Program Coordinator with Wetlands on Wheels he worked in the field and classroom to provide hands - on activities about wetland ecosystems for 5th grade students. He has also worked at camp Galileo as an instructor and program director. He enjoys gardening, cycling and exploring remote places. He has a talent for building and fixing things from cars to computers. He loves riding motorcycles and bicycles and has ridden from Baja California to the Arctic Ocean. He is returning to San Mateo Outdoor Education for his 11th year. Through his work as the SMOE garden coordinator he has transformed the space into a rich educational environment.  It has been said that Neil shares no less than 50% of his DNA with bananas.

Calder Carlson | Naturalist/Village Leader

Calder Carlson grew up in Los Angeles, CA. He is a graduate of UC Santa Cruz with a BA in Environmental Studies and wrote his capstone paper on the current effects of climate change on human health, focusing on the disparities of its impacts on marginalized communities. Calder was a student and cabin leader at LACOSS, which sparked his interest in outdoor education and eventually led him to work at San Mateo Outdoor Education in 2023. After spending time farming and working at summer camps in Hawaii, he is returning to SMOE for a second year.  He spends his free time surfing, skateboarding, birding, and playing guitar.  He has played water polo his whole life and is rarely found far away from bodies of water. Calder’s dream job is to be a rock star and a naturalist in his free time. Calder’s nature name at outdoor education is Possum.

 

Miriam Urrutia | Naturalist/Village Leader

Miriam Urrutia was born in Watsonville, CA and grew up in Moreno Valley, CA. She is a graduate of the University of Santa Cruz with a BA in Environmental Studies/Earth Science along with a BA in History of Art and Visual Culture. As a teacher assistant for CalTeach she assisted students in their STEM classes, created lesson plans for middle school chemistry classes and provided one-on-one tutoring. Miriam’s passion for environmental education and outdoor learning is evident through her diverse experience in the field. As a docent at the Monterey Bay Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center, she gave presentations to visitors regarding the well-being and care of marine life, interpreted various exhibits and ran several educational stations. At LifeLab: Semillas to Sunflowers Summer Program in Watsonville, Miriam guided 3rd to 6th graders from the Pajaro Valley Unified School District through a range of enriching activities, including garden-based learning, crafting, cooking, and storytelling. She also managed garden stations and coordinated with families. Her impactful work led to her returning the following summer as an Assistant Director. She enjoys playing soccer, she has a passion for photography and loves listening to music. She also likes thrifting and trying new crafts such as making linocut prints, embroidery and graphic design. She has a passion for learning about the natural world particularly, the ocean,  mushrooms, and earth science. She likes collecting rocks and loves learning about insects. It has been said that Miriam doesn’t need a heater because she warms every room with her soul. Miriam’s nature name at outdoor education is Mantle.

Owen Mylod Yee | Naturalist/Village Leader

Owen Mylod Yee grew up in Redwood City, CA and is a graduate of UC Santa Cruz with a double major in Environmental Studies and Education. Their experience of attending SMOE in 5th grade inspired them to become an environmental steward, and their experience as a Cabin Leader allowed them to think of themselves as a leader. While attending UCSC, they volunteered to lead school groups at Natural Bridges State Park teaching about monarch butterfly life cycles in the monarch groves, and then later joined San Mateo Outdoor Education and helped teach environmental education through livestreams during the pandemic. At Exploring New Horizons Outdoor School, they designed and taught 5th grade curriculum, and then returned to San Mateo Outdoor Education as an intern. They then joined Walker Creek Ranch Outdoor School as a Naturalist Mentor. Throughout this time, they spent summers as the Program Director of OVY Camp, a nonprofit residential summer camp in San Gregorio. They love insects and gastropods, particularly ants and slugs, and enjoy rock climbing, running, and climbing way too high into trees. In their free time they like singing poorly and participating in tomfoolery. It’s been said they are a forest gremlin first, and a human second. Owen’s nature name at outdoor education is Twig.

Lily Tatusko | Naturalist/Village Leader

Lily grew up in Mansfield, Massachusetts and is a graduate of the University of Vermont with a degree in Environmental Science and a minor in Zoology.  She has studied Ecology in both the Ecuadorian Andes and Galapagos Islands, as well as participating in a live/work program in Costa Rica, specifically working with local communities, farmers, ecologists and the National Park Service.  For two years, Lily was a Natural History and Human Ecology Teaching Assistant at the University of Vermont, teaching first year university students about natural history, flora and fauna, geology and how to collect data and do research during field trip-based classes taking them all over the state of Vermont.  She has developed educational programs for engineering-based projects for all ages at the Echo Leahy Center in Vermont and has also taught horseback riding and equine care to college students.  For the past 5 years, Lily has worked in summer camps, as a nature camp counselor at the Mass Audubon Moose Hill Camp in Sharon, Massachusetts and as the Head of Arts & Crafts and Director of Residential Life at the Hosmer Point Summer Camp in Craftsbury, Vermont. She then completed her internship at San Mateo Outdoor Education before moving on to become a Village Leader.  In her spare time, she likes to read, ride horses, swim and make crafts, such as painting, tie-dye and jewelry making.  It has been said that Lily has kissed nearly every bug, and has completed a quest for the love of pickles. Lily’s nature name at Outdoor Education is Ladybug.

Julie Dang | Naturalist

Julie grew up in San Jose, California and graduated from UC San Diego, where she studied Anthropology: Climate Change & Human Solutions with a minor in Urban Studies and Planning. While at UCSD, Julie worked as a Student Ambassador, where she engaged in peer coaching and supported student success. She also completed research projects on topics such as the benefits of outdoor education for at-risk youth, integrating Indigenous methods into park management, ensuring equal access to green spaces, and expanding cooling resources for marginalized communities. Outside of school, she spent years working with youth in creative and outdoor programs, from guiding campers through redwood forest trails at YMCA Camp Campbell’s Outdoor Science School to planning hands-on activities as an Assistant Director at Steve & Kate's Camp. In her free time, she enjoys baking and trying new crafts; she also loves collecting magnets! She also speaks Spanish and Vietnamese. It has been said that Julie can brighten any space she's in with her energy and great sense of humor! Her nature name is Mint.

Kira Coan | Naturalist

Kira Coan grew up in Redwood City, CA and attended SMOE as a fifth grader as well as a cabin leader in high school. She is a graduate of Vanderbilt University and has a degree in Special Education with a concentration in moderate/severe disabilities. She first discovered her love for working with kids by helping out in middle school at a local preschool and hasn’t stopped since. In college, Kira was a TA for an African Performance Class where she taught dance and coordinated virtual and in-person performances. Post graduation, she moved back to the Bay Area to teach middle school special education. While teaching, Kira established and led a mentorship class for general education students which taught students how to be academic and social models/peers for students in her class and helped students create inclusion spirit days that the whole school participated in. During the summers, Kira has worked at OVY Camp in a variety of roles, starting as a Counselor in Training and most recently as the Program Director. It’s been said that Kira gets summoned anytime there is a dance party. Kira’s nature name is Solstice.

Madaket Greenleaf | Naturalist

Madaket Greenleaf grew up in the Pacific Northwest town of Hood River, Oregon. She graduated from UCLA with a Bachelors of Arts in both Psychology and Education and Social Transformation. During her four years there she spent one abroad in Barcelona, hiked 1000km on the Camino de Santiago, taught after-school chemistry and biology courses, and interned at an arts program for underserved students in downtown LA. She also worked closely with a professor to develop eco-media-literacy lesson plans for urban youth at UCLA, as well as basing her thesis project on the impacts of outdoor education on student’s socio-emotional learning skills. After falling in love with teaching being a swim instructor in high school, and doing a National Outdoor Leadership School program for a month in the backcountry of Wyoming, it dawned on Madaket that she could combine her two passions (teaching and the outdoors) into one: being a naturalist at SMOE. In her free time, Madaket loves to hike/backpack and has a special place in her heart for the alpine ecosystems of Mt. Hood. She will always swim and play mermaids if there is a body of water nearby. Madaket’s nature name is Osprey.

Jorge Marquez | Naturalist

Jorge Marquez grew up in El Paso, Texas, and is a graduate of the State University of New Mexico with a degree in Biology and a minor in Chemistry. After graduating, he became an Environmental Educator at a Georgia 4-H Center located on Tybee Island. Here, he discovered his passion for teaching and sharing with kids how amazing our natural world is. This past summer, Jorge worked at a summer camp as a Bilingual Summer Educator at a non-profit organization called Walking Mountains Science Center in Avon, Colorado. Here, he got the opportunity to co-teach with amazing educators, do overnight hut trips, and work with kids of all ages. Being the first one in this role really meant a lot to him because of how much he got to connect with Spanish-speaking families of campers. In his spare time, he likes to read, go out for a run or a walk, and enjoy time with friends. Listening to music and trying new things are always a must for him, but you can also find him simply soaking up the sunshine!  Jorge’s nature name is Crow.

Meagan Bergstrom | Naturalist

Meagan is originally from coastal North Carolina and graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with a Bachelors in Human Organizational Leadership Development and minors in Environmental Science and Geography. While at UNC, Meagan worked as an Education Programs Assistant at the North Carolina Botanical Garden, where she developed and led educational programs centered around native plants and animals. This is where she discovered her love for connecting people with nature and creating meaningful learning experiences beyond the traditional classroom. During this time, she also served as an Education Intern at the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher, facilitating hands-on programming and spending time with one of her favorite animals, sharks! Most recently, Meagan worked as a Summer Educator with Growing Gardens in Boulder, Colorado, where she led summer camp activities on an urban farm. Some of her favorite lessons included honeybee hive visits and goat milking! Meagan loves rock climbing, being outside, and cooking and eating good food with friends and family. Her nature name is Fig.

Ella Scott | Naturalist

Ella Scott grew up in Red Wing, Minnesota and graduated from Hamilton College with a BA in Environmental Studies and a minor in Economics. As an undergraduate, she developed a passion for experiential learning while spending a semester with the School for Field Studies in southern Chile as well as participating in recreational outdoor activities with Hamilton’s Outing Club. In previous jobs, she has worked as part of a trail crew to reroute a section of a hiking trail in Ohio, helped college students navigate the job search process, and cared for residents at a nursing home as a CNA. Additionally, she has volunteered with a local library to help elementary-aged students practice reading, and with an after school program in Chile meant to help students learn English. Ella is learning Spanish and can play the guitar. It has been said that Ella has never won a game of Catan, but she’s getting really really close.  Her nature name is Daffodil.

Renee Boissier | Naturalist

Renee Boissier grew up in San Jose, California, but often found themselves in the Sierra Nevada mountains visiting their aunt and uncle. Those summers were formative—their uncle, an avid hiker, sparked a love of wilderness adventure, while their aunt, a wild horsewoman teaching the philosophy of “Free to Be,” inspired Renee’s belief in freedom, creativity, and self-expression. At the same time, their dad fostered a love of wildlife by taking them to Hawk Hill with the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory, where they learned to identify raptors in flight. It was this experience on Hawk Hill that inspired their nature name Red Tail, a nod to the common Red Tailed Hawk which makes up the logo for the GGRO. They went on to study Acting and Theatre Making at the University of West London in England, where they honed their creativity and developed a deep appreciation for storytelling and performance. That creative foundation has carried through each chapter of their life—whether working as a camp counselor, production assistant, photographer, administrator, or now as a naturalist—bringing a spirit of adaptability, artistry, and imagination into everything they do. Renee’s curiosity continues to expand into plant science, particularly the practical uses of plants. This year, Renee is most excited to deepen their learning as a naturalist and to step into a mentoring role, supporting others in their own journeys of discovery and expression.

Olivia Shafer  | Naturalist

Liv was born and raised just outside of Lansing, Michigan and graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology and a minor in Gender & Health. As a child, she spent her summers camping and swimming in the lakes of northern Michigan. As an adult, their love of nature and hiking deepened after summers living in the French Alps, Bozeman, MT, Yosemite National Park, and most recently, Washington State. She has worked with kids at Skylake Yosemite Summer Camp and the Wilderness Awareness School, where she helped to foster nature connection and passions for performance and storytelling. They have also been a part of food forest and food justice work during their time in Ann Arbor and Boston. They are passionate about music, anthropology, books (especially sci-fi), edible and medicinal plants, and environmental philosophy. Liv is always down for a good hike, a plunge in a body of water, a collaging session, or a lively debate!  Her nature name is Sapien.

 

Jonah Stern | Naturalist

Jonah grew up near Allentown, Pennsylvania and graduated from the University of Vermont with a B.S. in Environmental Sciences, a minor in Geospatial Technologies, and participated in the Place Based Education Certificate Program. At the University of Vermont, he spearheaded initiatives to increase access to the outdoors- coordinating low-barrier hikes, ski trips, and other outings, organizing a gear rental service for his college, and working with local non-profits to increase awareness of resources available to the community. After graduating, Jonah worked at the University of Vermont’s Mosaic Center for 2 years, advising and collaborating with over 20 student organizations to support student success and initiatives. Jonah has also volunteered his time as the Workshop Director for ECAASU, the largest conference for Asian American topics on the East Coast, coordinating the development of over 40 student-led workshops for the annual conference. It has been said that Jonah does not walk places… he illustriously floats on a mysterious single-wheeled contraption of the future.  His nature name is Tadpole.

Brooklyn Williamson | Naturalist

Brooklyn grew up in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and is a graduate of Gustavus Adolphus College with majors in Environmental Studies and Philosophy. In college, she grew passionate about the water quality of her hometown’s river, the Big Sioux, and spent two consecutive semesters researching the benefits of riparian buffer strips. She was lucky enough to spend the following summer interning with a local nonprofit that advocated for the Big Sioux and tested 18 sites throughout the watershed for E. coli, nitrates, and TSS. There she also found a love for outdoor education through working with kids and teaching them about the amazing world of aquatic macroinvertebrates. She returned to her senior year of college to focus her capstone on outdoor education, where she had the pleasure of working with sixth graders in the St. Peter school district on groundwater and pollution. She spent the last summer as a naturalist intern for South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks, and absolutely loved it. Brooklyn also has a great affinity for music, and often unwinds while playing guitar and writing songs. It has been said that Brooklyn makes a mean pasta salad that anyone in the Midwest would be jealous of. Her nature name is Coyote.

Tali Hastings | Naturalist

Tali grew up in Portland, Oregon, and graduated from Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, where she majored in Anthropology and Environmental Studies. During her time at Whitman College, Tali was an Outdoor Trip Leader for college students as well as a garden educator in the local Juvenile detention facility. She grew up going to Jewish summer camp in British Columbia and has been an outdoor leader and counselor at various Habonim Dror camps. Last summer, she taught 2-14 year olds as the Arts Specialist at Urban Adamah, an urban farm in Berkeley. She is coming to SMOE after a year of service through the program Avodah, in which she worked at The First 72+, a reentry nonprofit assisting formerly incarcerated folks in New Orleans, Louisiana. Tali is known to pull out her tap shoes whenever she sees a flat surface and dreams of developing a comedic performance art piece with her best friend, and former Naturalist Intern, Nissa.  Tali’s nature name is S.C.O.B.Y., aka a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast!

Abigail Pritchard | Naturalist

Abigail Pritchard grew up in the forests and streams of North Carolina. She received her bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science with a concentration in Ecology at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. She has spent the past two summers teaching about animals and ecology at an aquarium in Alaska. Abigail was one of the founding members of the first all girl BSA scout troop in her county. She went on to earn her Eagle Scout by planting a native pollinator garden at a local park. Abigail has always enjoyed teaching others about science, whether it’s designing informational signs, teaching scouts how to recognize plants in nature, or helping people learn about the oceans around us. In her spare time she likes to take photographs of nature, hike, and relax.  Abigail’s nature name is Sequoia.

 

 

Nick Sciole | Naturalist

Nick Sciole grew up around the suburbs of Boston, Massachusetts till the age of ten when he moved to Southern California. He attended the University of California Santa Cruz for his undergraduate studies and earned a BA in History. He then received a single subject teaching credential in social sciences from the University of California Masters in Education and Teaching Credentialing Program. While at UC Santa Cruz Nick participated and competed for the University’s NCAA Cross Country and Track and Field program. Training in the lush redwood forests of UC Santa Cruz’s Upper Campus along with the adjacent Wilder Ranch State Park, Pogonip Nature Preserve and Henry Cowell State Park allowed Nick to explore the endless network of trails in the Santa Cruz area along with developing a love and appreciation for the natural world. As an undergraduate Nick took part in the Okinawa Memories Initiative, a public history project aimed at preserving and educating on the History of the Ryukyu Islands and Indigenous histories of Okinawa Japan. Inspired by the life changing teachers and mentors he had through his High School and College experiences, Nick then chose to pursue teaching and began his journey in achieving a masters in education and teaching credential just this last year. Now he seeks to combine his love for nature and education as a Naturalist Intern at the San Mateo Office of Education in Jones Gulch and share his appreciation of nature with younger generations. It has been said that if you hear a rustling bush, it is Nick making a pit stop on a run. Nick’s nature name is Toad.

Madeleine Boyle | Naturalist

Madeleine grew up in Menlo Park, CA and is a graduate of Lewis & Clark College with a B.A. in Environmental Studies and a minor in Earth System Science. She spent her early years camping and exploring all over the peninsula. Her experience at Outdoor Ed in fifth grade continued to foster her love for nature and when she volunteered as a cabin leader during high school, it further drove her to pursue a career dedicated to environmental education and conservation. She believes that teaching the next generation to love and care for the earth is crucial for our future. In college she studied coastal ecosystems and kelp forest conservation and she interned with Environment Oregon contributing to grassroots environmental advocacy for sea otter reintroduction. In recent summers, she worked as a nature instructor with the Riekes Center, leading activities and lessons for kids ages 5-13 in the redwood forests and oak woodlands of the peninsula. Her goal was to help them find a sense of awe and wonder within nature and to rediscover their connection with the natural world. The curriculum involved learning about native plants and animals, nature themed games, stories, projects, and exploration of the land. She also taught a variety of essential skills including, plant identification, bushcraft, stealth, fire building, orienteering and carving. In her free time, she enjoys trail running, camping, tidepooling, cooking soup and a variety of crafts, from watercolor painting to crochet. It has been said that she has never met a creek she didn’t want to dip her toes into. Madeleine’s nature name is Stump.

Sofia Farinas | Naturalist

Sofi grew up in Los Altos, California and graduated from Amherst College with a BA in Biology and Philosophy. Some of Sofi’s favorite childhood memories come from exploring the Santa Cruz Mountains, particularly a backpacking trip that started at her house and ended at Waddell Beach. Ever since participating in an 8th grade outdoor education trip to Yosemite, she has been inspired to introduce kids to the wonders of the natural world through environmental education. Previously, Sofi taught recreational gymnastics for three years to kids aged 3-12, and worked as an Au Pair for kids aged 5-14 in Crested Butte, Colorado, and Almeria, Spain. In college, Sofi enjoyed studying cell migration and multicellular development in slime molds. She also facilitated Amherst’s STEM mentorship program, STEMSibs, running the Biology focus group. After graduating from college, Sofi is thrilled to be returning to the West Coast (best coast!) to mentor some pretty awesome fifth and sixth graders. In her free time, Sofi can be found rock climbing, doing contemporary dance, and petting neighborhood cats. It has been said that Sofi can do the worm!  Her nature name is Gecko.

Sterling Isler | Naturalist

Sterling Isler grew up in both Colorado and St. Ansgar, Iowa.  He is a graduate of the University of Iowa with a major in Theater Arts.  During his time at Iowa, Sterling took part in a study abroad program in Alicante, Spain, as well as many theater productions, made ever more experimental by the COVID pandemic.  After graduating, Sterling became certified in Teaching English as a Foreign Language, teaching English to people of all ages all over the world.  He spent the entire year of 2023 travelling through South America, teaching English at various schools along the way.  For the past year, Sterling has worked in the corporate world, but has continued to teach English to school children out of his love for teaching.  In his spare time, Sterling loves to hike and backpack.  He speaks Spanish and plays the guitar.  It has been said that Sterling can sometimes be found performing experimental theater while teaching English to marmots in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado.  His nature name is Moose.