Conservation Diaries: Subria Spencer, Promoting National Parks as Public Health Resources

Conservation Diaries Podcast Series

Conservation Diaries is a podcast series from the voice of the youth of the National Park Service as they share their passion and commitment to conservation of America's natural and cultural treasures. Listen as interns, volunteers, fellows, or employees across the National Park Service share their perspectives on conservation and why it is important for youth to be involved in the stewardship of their public lands. Subria Spencer was interviewed by Nicole Segnini in 2022. Listen to the entire Conservation Diaries podcast series.

• Conservation Diaries: Subria Spencer, Promoting National Parks as Public Health Resources

  
  

  Listen to this episode of Conservation Diaries as Subria Spencer shares her journey to the National Park Service Office of Public Health.

  Credit / Author:

  NPS

  Audio Transcript

  [Music]

  Nicole: Hello everyone and welcome to another episode of Conservation Diaries, a National Park Service podcast. I am your host, Nicole Segnini. In these new episodes we are highlighting current young National Park Service employees who were once interns, fellows, volunteers, or part of a specialized program.

  There are many ways young people can get involved with the National Park Service. And sometimes these youth programs can help you jumpstart your career as a full-time employee of the National Park Service.

  We caught up with some employees who have made this jump to hear about their experiences and their advice for young people.

  Today’s guest is Subria Spencer, an Auburn, Alabama native. She went to the University of Alabama at Birmingham, UAB, where she got her bachelor's in public health. She ultimately wanted to help communities achieve better health outcomes by providing access to basic resources. Subria focused much of her time during and after completing school on looking into local food environments, the issues that surround them, and identifying solutions to provide increased access to fresh, affordable options.

  Subria: I really kind of only imagined myself being in that kind of sustainability food realm. I'm very passionate about helping people meet those very basic needs in life. If we don't have food, if we don't have those things, like we can't function.

  Nicole: Subria had a unique journey to the National Park Service. And while her role here might not focus specifically on food, it does focus on looking at other aspects of an individual’s overall health and wellbeing.

  This focus started back in 2017 when Subria was selected to be part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—or CDC’s—Public Health Associate Program. This two-year training program selects candidates to help address public health gaps at local, state, federal, or even tribal organizations across the US and its territories.

  Subria was originally placed in the US Virgin Islands working with the USVI Department of Health right after Hurricanes Maria and Irma, but due to the rapidly changing environment, Subria was relocated to DC with the National Park Service Office of Public Health. And, needless to say, she was surprised.

  Subria: I knew nothing about the park service. I'm sure I had visited sites and probably been to parks but didn't realize that there was an agency responsible really for managing sites or managing monuments, different units... Definitely did not know that there was an Office of Public Health. [laughs] This is a quite, a very niche sort of job and sort of role.

  Nicole: As a CDC Public Health Associate, her role involved helping the Office of Public Health coordinate and facilitate a wide variety of projects. One of her responsibilities was to identify, track, and ultimately help prevent the spread of certain diseases that might exist in the parks, in particular tick-related illnesses.

  Subria: I came and I was doing just because there was a need because I don't have a communications background, but because there was a need to better communicate what's happening in the office and connect with new partners, that's the work that I was doing. And I was able to get experience doing some epi related work. So, over the summer of 2018, I helped with tick drags in parks. So that was kind of my first time out a national park. I had been in national parks, but as a National Park Service fellow-CDC person, I'm now like looking for ticks in parks and helping to collect them. And I had never seen a tick before. So I'm going through all of the things, like how to identify them. So, I was doing a lot of that work.

  Nicole: In addition to that work, Subria was instrumental in helping the Office of Public Health improve their methods of communication by developing an external website and revamping their internal site. She also worked alongside Greening Youth [Foundation] interns to help create and facilitate programs through Your Park! Your Health!, an initiative committed to building community relationships, promoting healthy lifestyles, inspiring connectivity with nature and establishing a sense of belonging in parks.

  After completing her assignment with the CDC program, she was hired as the Deputy Liaison and Communication and Education Specialist for the National Park Service in the Office of Public Health.

  She told me it was in part thanks to the help and trust she had gained from both the Director of the Office of Public Health, Captain Sara Newman, and the Deputy Director, Sonya Coakley.

  Subria: Both of them very focused on people first, very focused on trying to create opportunities if they can, to further knowledge, to help people continue to excel in their career, move forward in their career. And so, Sonya really worked hard to create a position for me to actually stay and be hired on officially within the office.

  Nicole: And while this was a unique way for Subria to join the National Park Service full-time, because it depended on her host site and funds, she did tell me something else that helped her with her federal application was having done AmeriCorps VISTA. That’s a year-long volunteer program that allows members to earn federal non-competitive hiring eligibility at the completion of their service, giving members an edge in the federal hiring process.

  Subria: Which I don't know how many people know about that. I think even offices may not know. Oh, AmeriCorps is an entity that I should look for when I'm thinking about individuals that could potentially be hired into the National Park Service. When I'm looking for those skill sets, you know, those are individuals, and you don't have a set background going into AmeriCorps. Some people may have been writers or done communications or science backgrounds, math backgrounds. It's really a variety. So, it is really a good place to look and consider for offices that are looking for more pathways.

  Nicole: Subria has become a champion of public parks and their positive impact on health. She believes our health, wellbeing, finding happiness, and being connected to nature are all essential to our life.

  The Office of Public Health is responsible for protecting, promoting, and advancing health in national parks. It functions like an internal health department, providing agency specific public health capability through disease surveillance and response, on site evaluation and hazard analysis, consultation on parks systems and even policy guidance. OPH professionals also assist park superintendents and land managers in promoting the positive health benefits of nature.

  In her role, she leads and coordinates communications and education efforts to advance the goals of all programs within the office and helps to elevate the important partnership with the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps.

  Subria: When we're stressed, you know, when we need a break from life... we take vacations, we go to the beach, we go outside, we go for a hike, we want to stand in the sun, we want to feel the trees, we want to touch water. And so, I think being able to just do that work in my everyday job is just really cool because it's like ‘ok how can I best engage this particular community in a park or in a space and a green space that is close to them or that they have access to?’ You know, what can I do to say, ‘Hey, your culture, everything that you're engaged in is important and you can do that in a park and you can enjoy all of the things that you love in these spaces because they are your spaces.’

  Nicole: Subria also told me that a big and important aspect of her job is to promote the health and well-being of diverse populations. She wants to make sure we are redefining the perception of national parks as havens of inclusion and making sure people from historically marginalized communities can find a sense of belonging at national parks.

  She has been part of projects that focus on opening dialogues around equity, health, healing, and wellness. She was also a producer of the Twenty & Odd National Park Service short film, which serves as a tool to inform, highlight, and educate the nation on the trauma, resilience, and beauty of the African American experience in this country.

  Subria told me there’s still a lot to be done, and conversations to be had, to be able to truly represent everyone within the National Park Service, and make sure everyone can feel welcomed and enjoy their national parks.

  Subria: We can only be truly effective when our agency really resembles the makeup of America. We understand that there is not one type of person, one type of community, one type of thought, one type of food, one type of culture... You know, really America is a mix of so many different beautiful things. And so unless that is represented in the agency, we're not going to be effective in trying to engage new people, quote unquote in the park, to reach new audiences. We can't do that if we don't have individuals that are connected to those communities and that represent those audiences. We just can't. You know, that's just bottom line. We just can’t. We're never going to be effective unless we're able to do that.

  And I think when we look at issues of climate change, when we look at issues of mental health, when we look at health in general, overall wellbeing, the individuals that are being impacted the most are the same communities that have been historically marginalized from these green spaces, from recreational activities, from the ability to engage with themselves and to learn about themselves through nature. And so it's just critical that we are hiring and also working to ensure that what we're doing here is really reflective of what society, what America, what our communities need.

  Nicole: Progress is made when there is a flow of new ideas and new ways of engaging on these issues. Subria also told me it is essential to continue engaging with the youth to be able to achieve change and progress.

  Subria: I think there really is more work to be done, especially when it comes to promoting existing programs and also more work to be done when it comes to thinking about innovative ways to reach new people. And also understanding that even if you don't come from this rich conservation background, you don't know all there is to know about the science and water testing and whatever it is we say that you need to have for park service, that there's so many other skills and so much other knowledge that exists out there that we need.

  We need new thoughts. We need new minds. We need people that are going to think about the issues in a different way, that are going to come to the conservation table and think about a new way to maintain a certain species in parks or to focus on how we're addressing invasive plants. You know, we need those new thoughts at the table.

  Nicole: You can learn more about the Office of Public Health and what they do online at nps.gov/orgs/1735. And you can also find out more about how you can connect your health to the health of our natural world on our nps.gov site about ‘health and safety.’

  In these new episodes of Conservation Diaries, we are highlighting young National Park Service staff, like Subria, whose NPS journeys started as volunteers, fellows, interns, or as part of a special program.

  To learn more about these jobs, internships, and volunteering opportunities, you can go to www.nps.gov/youthprograms.

  Thank you for listening!

  [Music fades]

Subria Spencer got her bachelor’s in Public Health, because she ultimately wanted to help communities achieve better health outcomes by providing access to basic resources, like food.

NPS Photo

Meet Subria Spencer, a public health professional serving as Deputy Liaison and Communication Specialist for the National Park Service Office of Public Health (OPH), in Washington, DC.

Subria is a native of Auburn, Alabama. She went to the University of Alabama at Birmingham, UAB, where she got her bachelor's in Public Health. She went to school for Biology, but then decided to focus on Public Health because she ultimately wanted to help communities achieve better health outcomes by providing access to basic resources, like food.

Subria focused much of her time during and after completing school on looking into local food environments, the issues that surround them, and identifying solutions to provide increased access to fresh, affordable options.

"I'm very passionate about helping people meet those very basic needs in life. If we don't have food, if we don't have those things, we can't function.”

Before joining the National Park Service, Subria was part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Public Health Associate Program. This is a competitive, paid two-year training program that selects candidates to help address public health gaps at local, state, federal or even tribal organizations across the US and its territories. After completing the program, PHAP graduates are qualified to apply for jobs with public health agencies and organizations.

Subria was originally placed in the US Virgin Islands working with the USVI Department of Health right after Hurricanes Maria and Irma. Due to the changing environment Subria was relocated to DC, with the National Park Service Office of Public Health, which Subria knew little to nothing about.

“I'm sure I had visited [national] parks but didn't realize that there was an agency responsible for managing sites, monuments, and different units. [And] I definitely did not know that there was an Office of Public Health. This is a very niche sort of job and sort of role.”

Subria assisting with a tick drag at a national park. Ticks can carry bacteria and viruses that can cause disease in humans, including Lyme disease.

NPS Photo

The Office of Public Health (OPH) is responsible for promoting and advancing health in national parks. Functioning like an internal health department, the OPH provides agency specific public health capability through disease surveillance and response, on site evaluation/hazard analysis, consultation on parks systems and even policy guidance. OPH professionals also assist park superintendents and land managers in promoting the positive health benefits of nature. The OPH also promotes the health and well-being of park visitors through Healthy Parks Healthy People, a global movement that harnesses the power of parks and public lands as a health resource for all.

From 2018 to 2019, Subria’s role as a CDC Associate included collaborating with branch chiefs on projects focused on infectious disease epidemiology and surveillance, environmental health and health promotion.

“Health departments function for the community. They're responsible for disease control, for community events, for helping people get access to certain resources and for just ensuring overall wellbeing. The Office of Public Health does that same work within the office or within the National Park Service.”

Subria was instrumental in helping the Office of Public Health improve their methods of communication by developing an external website and revamping their internal site. She also worked alongside interns with the Greening Youth Foundation to help create and facilitate programs through Your Park! Your Health!, an OPH initiative committed to building community relationships, promoting healthy lifestyles, inspiring connectivity with nature and establishing a sense of belonging in parks.

After completing her assignment with the CDC program, she was hired as the Deputy Liaison and Communication and Education Specialist for the National Park Service at the Office of Public Health in 2019. Her hiring was unique because the office was able to create a position for her, and that is something that depends on host sites and funds.

Subria has become a champion of public parks and their positive impact on health. She believes our health, wellbeing, finding happiness, and being connected to nature are all essential to our life.

In her role, she leads and coordinates communications and education efforts to advance the goals of all programs within the Office of Public Health. She focuses on advancing communications efforts as they engage with public health service officers on the field who are responsible for protecting and promoting health and focusing on engaging visitors and employees in the outdoors and its benefits.

“We all have this natural connection to the outside. When we're stressed, when we need a break from life... we go on vacations, we go to the beach, we go outside, we go for a hike, we want to stand in the sun, we want to feel the trees, we want to touch water. And so, I think being able to just do that work in my everyday job is really rewarding.”

Subria (fifth from left to right) and the other producers of Twenty & Odd, a National Park Service short film about the trauma, resilience and beauty of the African American experience.

NPS Photo

A vital aspect of Subria’s job is to promote the health and well-being of diverse populations. To make sure we are redefining the perception of national parks as havens of inclusion and make sure people from underrepresented and historically marginalized communities can find a sense of belonging at national parks.

She has been part of projects, such as Power of Parks for Health, that focus on opening dialogues around equity, health, healing, and wellness. She was also a producer of the Twenty & Odd National Park Service short film, which serves as a tool to inform, highlight, and educate the nation on the trauma, resilience, and beauty of the African American experience in this country.

“The legacy of the [National Park Service] is dependent upon us having what for some may feel like difficult conversations, but for others are just the reality of life. The realities that individuals and communities face each day in maybe wanting to engage, wanting to get outside, not knowing how or not seeing the pathway to really be able to do what we say is provided for everyone. Hopefully these are the first of many efforts and conversations in the future.”

Subria believes there is still a lot to be done, and a lot of conversations to be had, to be able to truly represent everyone within the National Park Service, and make sure everyone can feel welcomed and enjoy their national parks.

“When we look at issues of climate change, of mental health, or at health in general, the individuals that are being impacted the most are the same communities that have been historically marginalized from these green spaces, from recreational activities, from the ability to engage with themselves and to learn about themselves through nature. It's critical that we are hiring and working to ensure that what we're doing here is reflective of what society, what America, what our communities need.”

Subria is a champion of public parks and their positive impact on health.

NPS Photo

While Subria’s journey to the National Park Service was unique and not easy to follow, Subria says something that helped her in her federal job application was having done AmeriCorps VISTA, where she focused on poverty-related issues. The one-year long volunteer program allows members to earn federal non-competitive eligibility, giving members an edge in the federal hiring process.

Subria also wants young people to know that there are other important ways they can get involved with the National Park Service and the Office of Public Health, such as looking for internship positions with the Greening Youth Foundation. This partnership places GYF interns from diverse backgrounds in national parks across America, where they work in every aspect of resource management. Subria believes it’s essential that the National Park Service continues to engage with the youth to be able to achieve change and progress.

“There are so many skills and so much knowledge that exists out there that we need. We need new thoughts. We need new minds. We need people that are going to think about the issues in a different way that are going to come to the conservation table and think about a new way to maintain a certain species in parks or to focus on how we're addressing invasive plants... We need those new thoughts at the table.”

Nicole Segnini traveled the world from an early age including visiting many national parks in the US.

NPS Photo

Meet the Host

Nicole Segnini created the Conservation Diaries podcast series in 2021 during her Latino Heritage Internship Program internship with the National Park Service's Office of Communications in 2021. Venezuelan-born, she knows firsthand Latinx communities' passion and commitment to conservation and wanted to engage the rising generation of stewards—of all cultural backgrounds—to picture themselves in conservation careers or working in the National Park Service. Nicole used her background and experience in journalism, social media influencer, and television news producer to create the Conservation Diaries podcast series to bring out the stories of youth in the National Park Service from their own perspectives.

"There are so many young people in underrepresented and minority communities across the country who care so much about conservation, historical preservation, nature, wildlife, the outdoors, and our beautiful parks, and I think it's important that we elevate and amplify their voices and their important work. They are working hard to protect and preserve our natural, cultural, historical, and recreational resources and I believe that work is usually overlooked. That's why I wanted to start something like this." - Nicole Segnini