Compost Operations Manager

• Oct 2020 - Present

Collections Coordinator

• Mar 2019 - Present

My current position is working for Soil Cycle, the Springs’ first-and-only, pedal-powered composting service that offers curbside collections and manages a network of collaborative compost sites.Soil Cycle is a social enterprise of Colorado Springs Food Rescue (CSFR), a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization working to cultivate a healthy, equitable food system in the greater Colorado Springs community through programming in food access, education and production with an emphasis on youth leadership and neighborhood development. The current duties are to plan and execute the pick-up service, process, along with planning future development of compost sites. In the near future, the job will evolve to providing soil-related classes for enthusiastic community members on projects such as urban composting and vermicompost.

Office Associate

• Apr 2018 - Sep 2018

Conduct sales at a reputable family owned and operated business, selling Colorado native trees, shrubs, and perennial flowers;Assist retail or wholesale customers in person, via phone, or email, with any questions regarding landscaping, plant selection and care, sales, disease/pest management, etc;Operating Point of Sale system including creating orders and invoices, assessing customer data, managing money, running the register Conduct sales at a reputable family owned and operated business, selling Colorado native trees, shrubs, and perennial flowers;Assist retail or wholesale customers in person, via phone, or email, with any questions regarding landscaping, plant selection and care, sales, disease/pest management, etc;Operating Point of Sale system including creating orders and invoices, assessing customer data, managing money, running the register

Peace Corps Volunteer

• Mar 2015 - Apr 2017

Volunteered in one of the poorest countries in the world focusing on environmental and health-oriented projects by collaborating with local community members/groups along with NGOs and local tea estates located on Mulanje Mountain, a tropical biodiversity hotspotCompleted the following activities through a $550 PEPFAR grant: constructed 52 bee hives for a local honey production group; taught sustainable livelihood farming through the creation of a demonstration permaculture garden; enriched 60 girls’ ambitions in becoming nurses through trips to tour district’s nursing school; and implementing a 5-day GRS camp for 40 youthsOrganized with local community groups and tea estates to acquire and plant a total of ~6,700 native trees around the watershed which complimented initiatives by local tree nursery groups to sustain future demands for forest resourcesCoordinated and facilitated teaching Sub-Saharan Africa’s Grassroots Soccer (GRS) program to 62 local school girls on local issues such as HIV/AIDs, sexual reproductive health, and malaria; Monitored the information learned through pre and post surveys which were used to evaluate the health status of Sub-Saharan youthAssisted 3 value-addition income generating activities i.e., 1 honey production and 2 tree nursery groups by providing training in management, budgeting, and production methodsCollaborated extensively with district-wide umbrella NGO, Mulanje Mountain Conservation Trust, on creating a diverse spice/food market; monitored 12 Mulanje Mountain cedar tree nurseries around the mountain during a 6-day trek; created Save the Children: Relay for Life event for the annual Mulanje Mountain Porter’s Race to raise awareness about childhood poverty

Field Technician

• May 2014 - Sep 2014

This is a seasonal full-time Field Technician position. My responsibilities involve restoration maintenance throughout various project sites in the Northern Indiana and Michiana area. The daily activities vary depending on the seeding/growing time of the targeted exotic species. The main methods of exotic species eradication include herbicide application via chemical backpacks and hand-wicking. I also helped install a raingarden which exposed me to methods such as installment of erosion-control blankets, seeding, and planting aquatic species using various tools (auger, divel bars, tree bars) to complete the project. Thus far, I have gained some valuable insight into the operations of wetland mitigation and delineation projects.

Undergraduate Research Student

• Aug 2013 - May 2014

I work in the Department of Forestry of Natural Resources under Professor Jeffrey Dukes. I am assisting a graduate student in his study of the effects of climate change on the pervasiveness of invasive species. The study will look into factors such as nitrogen and carbon ratios, moisture content, and litter decomposition rates to see if invasive species are influencing the micro-community of the understory in a forest ecosystem. As an assistant, I will be researching and evaluating different journal articles, analyzing leaf litter samples, along with running a side project to look at the effects of moisture content in decomposition.

Summer Undergraduate Lab Technician

• May 2013 - Sep 2013

I worked in the Department of Entomology under Professor Rick Howard's lab. I provided assistance to three graduate students' field experiments, along with an international student's summer scholarship research. The head research student's experiment consisted of studying the different effects of soil and air pesticide applications on the accumulation of neonicotinoids in melons; collecting data on these concentrations is to see if applications might consequently pose a serious risk to the health of bee populations. My main contribution was to assist in pesticide applications, collect stripped cucumber beetles, harvest and collect data on cantaloupe, check corn ear worm traps, and quantify vigor and damage from bacterial wilt on melon plants.

Employee

• May 2012 - Aug 2012

Undergraduate Research Assistant

• Aug 2011 - Dec 2011

I worked in the Department of Ecology in the College of Science in Dr. Esteban Fernandez-Juricic's research lab. During the semester I assisted two graduate students on different experiments regarding behavioral ecology of birds. One of the studies involved recording Brownheaded Cowbird behavior after various audio and robotic bird stimuli were provided. This required substantial set up at the Ross Biological Reserve, involving many cables connected to the audio boxes and video cameras, along with the robotic birds. The other experiment involved using a remote controlled airplane to provide stimuli to birds. The design set up involved interconnecting cables that connected video cameras to the televisions screens to oversee response of the Cowbirds in their cages. Both experiments allowed me to gain experimental design knowledge, including the complexity of performing experiments outdoors with no electrical outlets. Along with the experiments we learned to analyze a research paper a week through discussion, and perform bird handling and care within the facility.

Employee

• May 2011 - Aug 2011

Intern

• May 2011 - Aug 2011

I worked as an pay-free intern at Environmental Labs, Inc, which is a small business that analyzes water samples for areas around southern Indiana region. My duties consisted of observing the various chemical tests performed on the numerous waste and water samples provided by the clients. Near the end of the internship, I was running some spectrometry samples and using some testing machinery throughout the lab. In the office, I was sometimes taught to input empirical data into the company's database. I also was able to assist in collecting water samples in surrounding creeks for different clients. It required manual labor, use of water testing equipment, and recording observations.

Employee

• May 2010 - Aug 2010