Conservation Leadership Initiative Students Soar to New Heights

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 challenge 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 position, Clara assists in subject journey coordination, outreach, advocacy, further initiatives for the chapter, and the brand new Conservation Pathway Program, designed in order that youthful individuals create connections to the chapter.

Clara emphasizes how invaluable the CLI program has been to her profession via 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 one of the best alternative of their lives to community, get expertise, and construct their connections. I couldn’t be extra happy with myself for clicking that hyperlink, as a result of it actually modified my complete path.” – Clara Soloa

Jennifer Quintero

Jennifer was a CLI scholar 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 example, via her mentor, Jennifer participated in subject work on the Cape Florida Banding Station the place she first began actually entering 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 optimistic impression for birds on the FIU campus via chook strike collision surveys and decals. Even now, Jennifer has continued to remain shut together with her mentor, who notes that “it has been a present to observe 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 scholar pondering of going into the environmental and conservation subject “locks in” on this system utility.

“For any individual to create a free program that helps provide you with alternatives, introduce you to new individuals, 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 subject 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 subject, and Corridor’s mentorship was a serious profit. For Corridor, being Robin’s mentor was “probably the most rewarding expertise.”

Reflecting on his personal progress 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.