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Category: Representation Matters

Connection with the Earth

por Fernando Silveira

All my life, I was really into the outdoors and since I was a little kid, I felt a connection with the Earth. I grew up going to the beach and exploring all around. I used to love to learn about mosses and animal habitats. My family and I had a garden in our house, so I always was in contact with plants and the environment. Shortly after, we built a small community garden for our neighbors. I am proud to say that the garden continues to remain in use by the community.

In high school, I participated in some projects, such as; recycling, conservation, cleaning up beaches, and would volunteer on an organic farm. In college, I had a variety of different experiences in various locations. I worked on a big farm that harvested oranges, worked with an equine-assisted therapy organization, planted flowers, grew potatoes, and worked with agroforestry systems. My last experience before I came to the U.S. was on a sustainable farm, it gave me the experience to explore the conservation and restoration fields. My main goal at EarthCorps now is to improve my knowledge in this area of study.


I am an Agronomic Engineer. I had a solid background with agriculture, learning, and working with different plantations and farms, a variety of plants, and a diverse group of animals – but I miss the horses the most. All of these experiences helped me in learning how conservation and agriculture are interconnected.

“My last experience before I came to the U.S. was on a sustainable farm, it gave me the experience to explore the conservation and restoration fields”.

Fernando Silveira

I learned a lot about conservation agriculture. What is Conservation Agriculture? It is defined as a sustainable agricultural system made up of a set of farming practices adapted to the requirements of crops and local conditions of each region. Its farming and soil management techniques that protect the soil from erosion and degradation, improve its quality and biodiversity and contribute to the preservation of our natural resources. Similar to what I’ve learned at EarthCorps, almost all forms of conservation agriculture share three core principles; regular maintenance of soil cover, minimum soil disturbance, and the practice of regular crop rotations.

At EarthCorps, I am learning different techniques of conservation and forest restoration that I can apply in many situations in the agriculture field both in Brazil or wherever I go next. EarthCorps made me think outside the box. I’ve been with EarthCorps for two years and have learned and grown a lot, not just professionally but personally too. EarthCorps is a community that I will carry with me my entire life, I made connections with people all around the U.S. and the world. Each of them teaches me something every day, a lot of people with different backgrounds and experiences but with the same goal “strengthen community and restore the health of our environment”.

Gaining Experience

por Sonya Pendrey

Although I grew up hiking, camping, and backpacking with my father, and began working as a camp counselor at a women-run backpacking camp by the age of sixteen, when I first entered the outdoor education field as my area of study in university and career, I faced a lot of doubt from my fellow, typically white, male, co-workers and bosses. This was extremely difficult for me, as my skills and competence had never been doubted before by my father or bosses who had been women. Feelings of not being good enough and foolish, hopeless even, began to bring me down as the negative external forces slowly crept their way into my mind.

Over time, although I was gaining experience, leading outdoor groups became more nerve wracking instead of less because of the pressure that was now present. I felt that a slip up not only reflected poorly upon myself and made me seem like a ‘silly woman’ who didn’t deserve to be working alongside my male colleagues, but also made all women attempting to gain esteem in the outdoor industry look silly. I didn’t want to misrepresent my entire gender.

Of course, I also had to face the fact that I didn’t quite blend into the whiteness of the industry. Because my heritage is split, half Latinx and half a mix of white, Jewish European, that until someone realizes my curly hair is not a ‘Jew fro’ but indeed a signal of my Latinx genetics, I am ‘white enough’ for them to say racist statements or offensive jokes in front of me. As a method of self preservation, I developed a desensitivity to problematic microaggressions about race and awful pronunciations of words in Spanish by the people around me. I felt I couldn’t speak out, correct their behavior or mispronunciations. I felt shrunken down, invisible, robbed of the empowerment my outdoors skills and knowledge had always provided for me, and undeserving of my leadership position.

“My job became more fulfilling than before, and my mental health and self-confidence recovered”.

Sonya Pendrey


So what did I do? I accepted a job at an outdoor education afterschool program run by a woman who, although she was white, spoke fluent Spanish. She also provided enough financial aid to anyone who applied to her program for them to attend, to the best of her ability. This made her program the most racially diverse in the area. My job became more fulfilling than before, and my mental health and self-confidence recovered.

I will leave you with this: if you see a problem in the industry in which you are working, do not remain compliant! Look for job opportunities that uphold the same values as yourself and dedicate your time and effort to helping them succeed.

Celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month

por Maritza Oropeza

Fifty-two years have passed since we began celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month in the United States. Hispanics play a vital role in our society that is sometimes forgotten, overlooked, or ignored. Whether you identify as Hispanic, Latino, Chicano or Latinx, know that this is your month to celebrate the people who paved the way. I come from a family of migrant workers, housekeepers, cooks, and factory workers. The jobs you say to yourself “I’m glad that’s not me”. As a fourth-generation Chicana, I can’t comprehend the struggle of leaving my homeland in search of a better life. My great grandparents, Ama and Apa, were migrant workers who worked everywhere from Minnesota to Arizona and picked everything from strawberries to cotton. Eventually, settling in Oceano, California. This drive to sacrifice comfort and security in favor of working for a better future is shared by all our brothers and sisters. We must recognize this in ourselves and continue the push for a better future whether or not we’ll live to see it.

“It’s up to our generation to continue their legacy and fight for our ancestor’s rights”.

Maritza Oropeza

Amidst a global pandemic, the nation’s most marginalized populations are being asked to work. Farmworkers already face one of the most dangerous jobs in the nation, with heat exhaustion, pesticide exposure, and the threat of wildfires. Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta paved the way with their commitment to non-violence and spirituality that changed a nation with the United Farm Workers of America. It’s up to our generation to continue their legacy and fight for our ancestor’s rights. Farmworkers deserve this prestigious recognition along with respect and appreciation for feeding us every day.

Support brown businesses, fill out your census, and register to vote. Yo Cuento!