Jennifer Keliher-Venegas

Intern: Environmental Educator, San Diego National Wildlife Refuge Complex Headquarters
Chula Vista, California

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

How Jennifer Keliher-Venegas got involved with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
I attribute my pursuit of a science career to early experiences I gained as a field-research volunteer at the San Diego Complex Tijuana Estuary Reserve site. A positive outcome from my experience volunteering for the Reserve was a deeper understanding of the environmental education branch of the USFWS. However, I did not fully understand what their public education and community outreach initiatives looked like in a practical sense. The application for this internship came to me through mentors that witnessed my participation (and zeal) in educational outreach projects taking place at San Diego State University and Southwestern Community College. The goals of these projects were to encourage minority students towards fulfilling their goals to earn higher degrees in STEM fields. This was a fitting match for the USFWS internship opportunity. My interest in conducting Latino educational outreach stems from my experiences as a Mexican American and first-generation college graduate. Realizing how my family’s misunderstanding of biology affected my perspective regarding stewardship and appreciation for science, I count it a great privilege to help educate Latinos regarding the importance of protecting threatened local habitats and wildlife as well as how their involvement and support can contribute towards a more sustainable future.

Experience
What I found both motivating and surprising during my first bilingual outreach event, 9th annual Fiesta Del Rio at the Tijuana Slough Refuge, was how Hispanic San Diegans showed genuine interest in all details that were explained regarding the Refuge from bird adaptation to how water flux affects the geology of the landscape seasonally. As an aspiring research biologist, experiences such as this one have reinforced the importance of considering all the extra steps necessary to translate and interpret science in ways that help both wildlife and people in very practical ways.

Jennifer Keliher-Venegas's accomplishments
I am creating a network of partnerships that would help propel and maintain the momentum of this initiative in addition to encouraging Latino interest, support, and direct participation at San Diego Refuges so as to positively influence youth and families towards a greater consciousness regarding the importance of preserving local wildlife and their habitats. This is being accomplished by providing Latino families with educational, service-learning, and bilingual recreational activities (e.g. on-site field trips, refuge cleanup/restoration, nature walks), and by promoting events/programs off-site within the community (e.g. schools, libraries, recreational/community centers). Our hope is to help reacquaint individuals with their innate wonder for nature by demonstrating the fun families could have in enjoying the protected lands while also diversifying the pool of attendees at Refuges and Refuge events. What has been especially delightful during this internship has been the genuine interest (signaled by multiple questions, excitement in receiving educational materials) of our Latino participants and their enthusiast reactions in learning about the rich wildlife that exists within their own backyards.

Jennifer Keliher-Venegas's next steps
In the fall of 2013 I hope to begin a Masters or PhD program in Biology with an emphasis in Ecology. In the years following the acquisition of my degree, I hope to conduct research related to marine megafauna population health assessment/monitoring as a government employee or in academia in order to provide data that can directly inform environmental policy decision-making. Eventually I intend to teach middle school, high school, or community college science courses.

Hometown: San Diego, California
School: Graduate of San Diego State University
Major: Marine Biology, B.S.