Zavier Borja
Age: 25
Location: Bend, OR
What is your earliest memory of the outdoors?
Zavier: My earliest memories of connection to nature were when I would visit my Abuelito’s in a little town called Kimberly, Oregon. A very small town of 150 people but is home to a beautiful orchard. I absolutely loved going out there. As a kid I was able to get a hands on connection to nature by seeing where all this fruit came from. I would go out into the orchard with them and pick fruit. As I got older I was actually able to work there, by the age of 12 I had spent 5 summers working in the Orchard. I really think having spent all that time out there helped foster my love and appreciate for nature and the outdoors.
Did your family partake in any outdoor activities? If so what kind?
Zavier: In growing up my family never really did any outdoor activities. The only thing we would do was work outside on the house. Now that I think/write about it, I just don’t think we had the time and recourses to go out for a recreational hike/activity. It hasn’t been up until recently that we have gone to places like, Crater Lake, Mt. Hood Wilderness, Yosemite, Colombia River Gorge as a family. I really think that now that my sister is older and financially my parents are doing well that we have been able to enjoy these things and places as a family.
As an adult what is your favorite outdoor activity and is there something new you would like to try?
Zavier: As an adult my favorite outdoor activity would have to be hiking to a waterfall. Of course, seeing a waterfall or being under one is such a beautiful feeling. The thing I love most though is hearing the power of the waterfall before even laying my eyes on it. My imagination runs wild in picturing it.
As for something new, I’d like to try trail running. I’ve done a few races and have been getting into running a lot and would love to kinda cross my love for hiking and new found enjoying (running) and start to do some trail running.
What is your favorite part about working with Youth in Bend,OR?
Zavier: My favorite part about working with youth in Bend is being able to take them somewhere absolutely beautiful and seeing how they interact and are passionately curious about these places. Being no more than 40 minutes from a mountain resort and living in a recreation town. You can only imagine how spoiled we really are here. So being able to show the youth the beauty that surrounds them so that they hopefully won’t take it for granted.
Was is hard to move back to Bend after spending sometime in the Bay Area?
Zavier: I never in my life thought that I could live in a city. Let alone one of the most well know cities. Coming from a small town of 3,000 people (Madras, OR) , then moving to 80,000 (Bend, OR) that was a big change. Then moving to San Francisco a city of almost 1,000,000 people! That’s jut crazy. Going back to my thought of never living in a city then finding myself in SF, I absolutely LOVED IT. Being back in Oregon, there sooo many things that I miss about the city! All the different districts, being able to walk just about everywhere, all the different walks of life, hearing different languages when I’d hop onto Muni, all my friends I was able to make. The thing I miss most is walking through Union Square in the early mornings. So quite a peaceful. You could hear the birds singing and the way the sunrise hits all the buildings giving off beautiful beams of light was truly magical. Probably on of my favorite spots at anytime of day, but those early morning walks were my favorite. Also, the entire Mission District was probably my favorite area in the city. Spent a lot of time in that area.
Your IG is full of beautiful photos, is there one with a special story behind it?
Zavier: This was a photo that I took recently, my father and I went to my Abuelita’s to make tamales. For anyone who has every made tamales it’s a looooong process. While we were making them I starting thinking to myself about how this was a beautiful cultural tradition that someday could be lost in my family. It made me wanna cherish that entire day spent with my family making them and anytime after. To learn, to have memories, to pass down and keep traditions like this alive. Realizing and remembering my roots.
How could Bend benefit from having more Latinos in Recreational spaces?
Zavier: The outdoors is such a special space to me because it’s a place where I can go and feel free. A place of wonder and beauty. No judgment, just pure enjoyment about what is around me. The fascination and curiosity that nature brings me is what always has me going back to enjoy. Here in Bend, Oregon there is an extreme lack of diversity, 93% Caucasian and with Latinos holding 6% of the city’s population (85,000). Outdoor spaces in general are already lacking in Diversity so being out there and encouraging more Latinos to get outside and that it is a space for everyone. By being vocal and using any positionally I have to be a voice to get more Latinos to feel welcomed outside.
To learn more about Zavier Borja visit:
All photos courtesy of Zavier Borja.