Where are you from? What was your pathway to National Park Service (NPS)?
I’m from just south of Detroit, an area called Downriver. My pathway to NPS was pretty convoluted. I got a degree in English from the University of Michigan, and then spent a while in a factory working on a line and doing industrial maintenance. After a bunch of deaths in my family in very short order, I reprioritized and quit the factory, ate up my savings volunteering at a local botanical garden, and got myself into the seasonal academy in Rangely, Colorado. Turns out that being outside is a lot better for your mental health than a windowless factory filled with poison dust.
What interested you in the National Park Service?
I had quite a few vacations as a kid to Glen Canyon, the beauty of which really stuck with me. It’s where I work now. Also, my brother got bit by a rattlesnake there and nearly died, so lots of great memories.
What do you do for NPS?
I’m a Law Enforcement Ranger for the Marine District at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. I spend a lot of time on the water driving a boat and performing boat related activities.
What do you find most rewarding about your job?
I like solving problems and helping others. Sharing a moment with visitors who are having the best day of their life is really rewarding; So is helping the visitors who are having the worst day of their life.
What advice do you have for youth and young adults thinking about a career at NPS?
Follow these simple step by step instructions:
1.
Go outside.
2.
Eat some beef jerky. Or, like, apple slices or something.
3.
Hike in the rain.
4.
Look at a star.
5.
Believe in yourself and see yourself as part of a great mission. You can do it!
6.
If step five doesn’t work out at first, go back to step 1.
Do you have any hobbies outside of the NPS?
I have a little boat that I take out from time to time. My other hobbies include cooking, checking my shoes for scorpions, listening to Japanese Samba music, and walking around in the desert. Travel too. I like visiting historic hotels that have cocktail lounges filled with taxidermy.
Do you remember the first park you visited?
I visited Sleeping Bear Dunes in Michigan when I was pretty young and had a nice smoked fish picnic on the beach.
What is your background? College? Study?
Among other things, I have worked in industrial maintenance, distilled whiskey, installed solar panels, dry cleaned, and waited tables before working for
NPS. Amazing what you can do with a degree in English from the University of Michigan.
Any favorite or funny memories of the job?
It’s hard to pick one! I’m having a blast.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service