by Natalie Al-Shihabi, Conservation Management Initiative Intern
Audubon Florida’s Conservation Management Initiative (CLI) grants 25 undergraduate college students yearly the prospect to match with an area Audubon chief for mentorship and work on a conservation venture of their selecting. Every cohort kicks off on the annual Audubon Florida Meeting, offering college students the distinctive alternative to community with conservation leaders whereas studying in regards to the group and its mission.
Meet Clara Soloa, Jennifer Quintero, and Robin Marquez: three CLI alumni who’re presently thriving of their respective conservation careers, and for whom the CLI program proved instrumental.
Clara Soloa
Clara, a member of the 2024-2025 CLI Cohort, paired up with Sabeena Beg, the chief director of the Audubon Everglades chapter. Clara has maintained a robust reference to the chapter, the place she presently works as an environmental administration intern. On this function, Clara assists in discipline journey coordination, outreach, advocacy, additional tasks for the chapter, and the brand new Conservation Pathway Program, designed in order that youthful folks create connections to the chapter.
Clara emphasizes how priceless the CLI program has been to her profession by the alternatives and connections that CLI grants college students. She encourages college students to place within the effort whereas in this system and perceive how influential it may be for his or her futures.
“Don’t simply go for the naked minimal… Many individuals don’t notice that they got the perfect alternative of their lives to community, get expertise, and construct their connections. I couldn’t be extra pleased with myself for clicking that hyperlink, as a result of it actually modified my complete path.” – Clara Soloa
Jennifer Quintero
Jennifer was a CLI pupil within the 2020-2021 CLI cohort, mentored by Steffanie Munguía at Tropical Audubon Society. She presently works for the Florida Division of Transportation as an environmental specialist and volunteers because the conservation and outreach specialist for Tropical Audubon. Her ongoing work with the chapter contains outreach, social media, chook walks, images, and extra.
Jennifer has utilized her connections and expertise constructed all through the CLI program to strengthen her skilled and tutorial repertoire. As an illustration, by her mentor, Jennifer participated in discipline work on the Cape Florida Banding Station the place she first began actually stepping into birds. Later in her tutorial profession, Jennifer used datasets from this banding station for her grasp’s thesis on migratory birds. Jennifer has relied on her expertise to make a constructive affect for birds on the FIU campus by chook strike collision surveys and decals. Even now, Jennifer has continued to remain shut along with her mentor, who notes that “it has been a present to look at her fall extra deeply in love with conservation and uncover her place in it.”
When reflecting on being within the CLI program and what it has provided, Jennifer strongly recommends that any pupil pondering of going into the environmental and conservation discipline “locks in” on this system software.
“For anyone to create a free program that helps provide you with alternatives, introduce you to new folks, and tailor it particularly to you, this chance is totally priceless.” – Jennifer Quintero
Robin Marquez
Robin was additionally a part of the 2021-2022 CLI cohort, mentored by Phyllis Corridor from Seminole Audubon. Robin is presently the assistant curator for the College of Central Florida’s Bug Closet Assortment of Arthropods, the place he paperwork biodiversity, completes discipline work, and does outreach. Robin’s subsequent step is to get his PhD on the College of Minnesota, the place he’ll examine microscopic parasitic wasps and craneflies in one of many labs on the faculty.
Robin says the CLI program altered his whole profession and tutorial path, opening his eyes to the spectrum of alternatives within the environmental discipline, and Corridor’s mentorship was a significant profit. For Corridor, being Robin’s mentor was “probably the most rewarding expertise.”
Reflecting on his personal development in this system and the way it impressed him to pursue extra bold alternatives, Robin has some recommendation for potential CLI college students and future environmentalists.
“By no means be afraid to indicate up as you might be. By no means let something dim your gentle.” -Robin Marquez
