Image Description: Jonathan (wearing the orange beanie) sits with some of his fellow assistants on the last day of a field project.
“I saw it [the Green Jobs Program] was really tailored to POCs, to whatever your interests are, even now I can’t believe it’s a program available to people.” -Jonathan Albarran Velazquez
Jonathan was a part of the first Green Jobs Program cohort in 2020, right as the pandemic was starting. Now, Jonathan has been working for the Columbia Land Trust as a Stewardship Assistant for nearly a year. I talked to Jonathan about his experience in the Green Jobs Program, his career so far, and some of his goals going forward.
- Introduce yourself, what is your name and what do you do for work?
My name is Jonathan Albarran Velazquez. I am 21 years old and have been working as a full-time employee with the Columbia Land Trust as a stewardship assistant since last March. Basically what I do is help with conservation efforts, the reason I chose to come here at all is because the position is exactly what it sounds like, it’s on the ground and I live for labor and working with my hands out in the field. It’s exactly what I wanted to do.
- When were you in the Green Jobs Program?
I was in the Green Jobs Program in 2020, just as the pandemic was taking off. When it [the pandemic] started, I think I was a month in. Although the pandemic happened, eventually we were able to go into the park and do some work, little by little. Still the same park, even if we had to keep our distance [from each other]. Even though we officially started early in the year, I felt it really took off in winter/spring when we could finally work. Some of my favorite times were working on trail maintenance, if you want to in Forest Park you do not need to see another human being.
- Why did you initially join the Green Jobs Program?
Mostly because my mentor, Katrina Montoya, suggested I apply to it. At the time I applied to it, to be honest, it had been a while since I worked in conservation. I had been working at a recycling plant and feeling like I needed to move on and find something fulfilling in conservation work. After reading the description, I saw it was really tailored to POCs, to whatever your interests are, even now I can’t believe it’s a program available to people.”
- What was your favorite experience as part of the Green Jobs Program?
Definitely the ambassador program. Just being able to set up a table and engage with the public, kids, and just see who is using the park. Normally I wouldn’t encounter people too often, but the ambassador program gave me the chance to interact with the public, which was so much fun. It really helped me engage with the public too, especially because of the pandemic I kind of lost the ability to engage with people and this got me back into it.
- How has the Green Jobs Program prepared you for your job?
I feel like it’s a really good middle ground. They let you into different organizations where you learn different things. Like I’d never learned about monitoring or gps tracking before this. And even if you’re into the science aspect, West Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District is a great place with professionals who really know their stuff and I love working with them because they’re happy to help and teach which is big for me. They’re all just very welcoming, especially since there’s not a lot of “flavor” in the environmental field.
Environmental jobs help you learn and discover more. As I worked with different organizations and expanded my knowledge on plants and grants, it really helped attract me to this field and helped me understand it’s really important work that we do.
- What are your plans going forward?
My plans going forward eventually are to be a natural area manager, like my current manager. They do a lot of work for conservation and it’s amazing. It’s tedious and it’s not called “work” for no reason. But to have that level of knowledge and professionalism is amazing. I want to be a powerful person in my life, and to achieve that I must gain lots of knowledge. I plan to become a natural area manager in the next ten years, but I know after that I will want to go higher.
Image Provided by Jonathan Albarran Velazquez.
About the Where Are They Now Blog Series
Highlighting our former interns and colleagues.
Forest Park Conservancy has been committed to mentoring and training the next generation of environmental stewards by offering trained volunteer opportunities and paid internships through the Green Jobs Training Program to individuals who desire to pursue a conservation or environmental sector career.
We hope to continue our impact even after our colleagues leave by reaching out to past interns, staff members, and volunteers to learn about their career paths and ask them to reflect on how their experience at the Forest Park Conservancy has impacted their careers. We hope this series inspires new and continued pathways in the Green Jobs future economy. These interviews can serve as another way to illuminate the path and strengthen our sector’s network.
This blog series explores the overall impacts FPC’s programs have had on those who participate in our work. To nominate a volunteer, former intern, or colleague, email us at info@forestparkconservancy.org.