If you’ve been to a Grassroots Ecology event, it's likely you’ve interacted with a current or former AmeriCorps member, intern, or Youth Steward. We caught up with three program alumni to learn how the spark that started at Grassroots Ecology moved them in further along in their environmental careers.

I'm a proud member of the East Palo Alto community, born and raised here. I am also an intern for Grassroots Ecology stationed at Cooley Landing in East Palo Alto. This summer I helped lead a 5-week program for 7th graders from the Boys & Girls Club of Peninsula. I'd like to share my top 3 moments of the program for me.

Our Youth Stewards program gives local students the opportunity to safely connect with one another, learn about nature, and make a positive impact in their community. Over the last 14 months, our Youth Stewards had the opportunity to experience and learn about nature in person at a time when most school and summer programs were online.

Before Grassroots Ecology, I was a newly educated AP Environmental Science student who wanted to help the earth, but one who didn’t know where to start. I found out about the organization through a Cupertino newsletter advertising about Grove Guardians, a summer stewardship program for teenagers. After my first summer morning at Redwood Grove, I knew this is what I was looking for: an interactive experience with nature that furthered my education.