(Pictured left to right: Peer Mentors: Karla Hernandez & Liz Haley; ACE EPIC NPS Staff: Kyle Ellison, Emanuel Aragon Cruz, and Deja Charles, and Andrew Garcia)
Liz Haley: 2024 National Park Service Academy (NPSA) Peer Mentor & 2023 NPSA Social Science member
Tell me about your experience with ACE and the National Park Service Academy.
“I discovered news about ACE while monitoring the ACE job board before graduating, and I landed the NPSA position at Grand Teton National Park. It was a very neat experience where a great group of people from all different walks of life but with the same passions in conservation were brought together to take on these roles. It was a validating experience, creating a great sense of belonging and laying a strong foundation for my summer season. Initially, I was supposed to be in the role for 16 weeks, but it got extended to 20 weeks through a great conversation with my supervisor, who wanted to keep me longer.”
What did you initially think you’d take away from the experience? At the end, what did you realize you did take from the experience?
“I just wanted to know what was going on; I initially didn’t know what the program was really about, especially with the week-long orientation. I believed that we were there to be trained on the day to today (job-specific training) but came out with much more than that. Such as building a great framework for these roles and a foundation to rely on as I mentioned before. It was amazing how close we became in only 5 days.”
Tell me about your experience with your cohort and how this year’s cohort, that you helped mentor, differed.
“The cohort was friendly and outgoing, with a unique perspective and sense of humor to offer. I thought that what they put into the experience was what they got out, and they made the most of it. People were vulnerable, open, and assertive in an open way. I came out of it with great friends, and that cohort diminished my anxiety coming into my position. It was great being around people in similar boats and starting my journey with them.”
What is one thing you wished you knew going into your position?
“I kind of wished I had a sense of what I wanted to do after. I took it as it went and met with a lot of people I wanted to network with. I took everything day by day; it was the nature of the job and not something I regret, but I think being a bit more future-oriented and seeing where the NPS could take me would have been helpful. There wasn’t anything that I could have known going in. I was very open to everything.”
What did the NPSA teach you?
“So much! It taught me the value of people, specifically people and place. I am naturally an introvert, and I met so many people personally and professionally who revitalized me. I haven’t had that before. I was happy to be in such an enriching place with incredible people, and I was taught to seek that out a bit more. I realized that there wasn’t much I could control except the effort I put in, and that can lead to great things. It resulted in where I am today, which compared to a year ago, is an exponentially greater place.”
After the NPSA what were your next steps and what are you up to now?
“I had a midterm check-in with a seasonal NPS person where I talked about my future, and I didn’t know how to make that happen. I learned about both long-term and short-term routes, one of which I took advantage of by extending my stay in my position as a research tech by a month. I also solidified a great relationship with my manager who wants to come back this summer in a research tech role where I will be working in the Green and Gray in a GS-7 role.”
Karla Hernandez: 2024 NPSA Peer Mentor & 2023 NPSA Interpretation Member
Tell me about your experience with ACE and the National Park Service Academy.
“My experience this past summer was with an internship at Grand Teton in my first ACE position with NPSA. Recently, I went back with NPSA to be a peer mentor with this year’s cohort. Overall, it has been a great experience. My position in the Academy was as a Jenny Lake Interpreter based out of Grand Teton National Park.”
What did you initially think you’d take away from the experience? At the end, what did you realize you did take from the experience?
“When I first came across the opportunity, I knew I wanted to try working in a national park outside of my home state. When I visited the ACE website, I wanted to take on a trail crew position to do something fun and gain experience outside of Arizona. Through my search, I found NPSA, which is why when I was applying, I was open to a lot of different positions. I knew that Interpretation caught my eye out of all of them. I knew it was going to be a good fit with my personality and so forth. I was really happy when I found out I got the position and felt even better through the orientation experience. I was nervous after the orientation with moving to a new place, but through slowly getting oriented at the park, it was an overall good experience. Having a mentor through the program set me up well with making connections and learning a lot. Being a peer mentor was a great opportunity to share this experience with the new cohort and put them in a good place for the future.”
Tell me about your experience with your cohort and how this year’s cohort, that you helped mentor, differed.
“The 2023 cohort was a good one; I enjoyed my time with my roommate, and we still try to keep in touch. When I went to Grand Teton, I loved having other people to relate to through this process and seeing the people I’d be with during the summer. Everyone gravitated to their own spaces. In the summer, I felt disconnected from my cohort but formed and fostered new relationships in my work environment. A lot of people are seasonal, and I’m able to relate to new people, especially in internships; I was able to have that unity with the other seasonal staff going through their orientations. Besides having NPSA, I never felt alone in my term, and I knew I could always rely on my cohort. This year’s cohort got along well, and they had a different dynamic that naturally formed; I’m excited to see where this cohort goes in the future.”
What is one thing you wished you knew going into your position?
“Maybe preparing a bit more. Now that I’ve worked at different parks and roles within them I’m ready to take on tasks as they come. To have a good experience, you want to make your internship what you want it to be. I did a good job of this, but I realized that there were some moments where I experienced culture shock. In the first month, I was anxious, and it took a couple of weeks to feel comfortable and fine, and to have a better mindset through that experience.”
What did the NPSA teach you?
“It gave me a lot of tools to use, and no matter what, NPSA, regardless of whether you continue in the Park Service, offers a lot of valuable lessons. It’s about engaging with one another and having a sense of community and unity there. It was a way to drive my career in the direction I wanted to go. I met amazing people, and through them, I’ve learned a lot. I learned that I can occupy space, advocate for myself, and be a good support person for myself.”
After the NPSA what were your next steps and what are you up to now?
“I was excited to have a new job and didn’t initially consider it a summer thing. Once I realized its seasonal nature, I began searching for other environmental opportunities. I applied to interpretive ranger jobs for the winter to work at a new site, aiming to enhance my skills and my current position with Conservation Legacy through individual placement positions as a scientist in parks. I secured a natural resource position at Point Reyes National Seashore. I led their 4th-grade elephant seal programs and others through the position. Since I had never held natural resource positions before, it was a very exciting opportunity for me to take on. I’ll be there until mid-April, then moving to a federal ranger position in Yosemite in a month in my Green and Gray uniform.”
This interview was conducted two weeks after the 2024 National Park Service Academy Orientation by Emanuel Aragon Cruz. Thank you Liz and Karla for supporting the 2024 NPSA cohort and for sharing your experiences with us!