Staff Spotlight: Rebecca Au and Jackson Lam

Becca and Jackson at Muir Woods on Earth Day 2022

NPS Photo

Meet Rebecca Au and Jackson Lam, who both work at the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Fort Point National Historic Site, and Muir Woods National Monument. Work is always better together, so, they wanted to share this spotlight together to honor the work they have accomplished as a team.

Rebecca Au

“We are drawn together by our shared appreciation of our cultures and love of amazing parks and foods, I feel so blessed to be able to work side-by-side with another Chinese American Park Ranger. It makes this work more enriching and less lonely for sure!” 

“Where are you really from” SFPL Library Event Promo Collaboration with SF Maritime [Pictured: Jackson, Becca, and Sabrina on the deck of the Balclutha]

NPS Photo

How did you find yourself at NPS?

Becca: I wasn’t really looking for a second job; the second job was looking for me. A friend of mine from San Francisco Recreation and Parks who used to work at the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy (GGNPC) had a colleague working in their Volunteers and Internships department who needed support. At the time, I was in a 30 hours per week position at another non-profit and received support from my current supervisor to consider the position with the GGNPC. That position was temporary, part-time, and only had 5 hours of work per week. Four months later, they extended my position to half-time. Two months later, it became full-time, and I left my other job. Two months after that, the National Park Service (NPS) Golden Gate National Recreation Area Volunteer team approached me to join them as a term employee supporting internships broadly at the GGNRA. Long story short, I just kept saying yes when people asked me if I wanted to work and continue to support volunteers and interns at the park.

Jackson: Almost accidentally. I took an internship at Acadia National Park on a whim, followed immediately by another internship at Golden Gate National Recreation Area because I had enjoyed the first internship so much. Those internships turned into a seasonal job and eventually a permanent job at Alcatraz Island.

What do you do for the NPS?

Becca: I am a Volunteer and Youth Programs Coordinator at the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Muir Woods National Monument, and Fort Point National Historic Site. This park unit hosts on average 1,000 regular long-term volunteers spanning over 40 volunteer programs, I provide direct support to all the volunteer supervisors with all things related to volunteer management. Additionally, I also support the outreach, recruitment, onboarding, and enrichment of 50 – 80 interns throughout the park. Many internship programs that I support give underrepresented and diverse young people opportunities to work in the park and learn about the many ways that staff fulfill our mission of protecting, preserving, and educating about our public lands for future generations.

Jackson: I will be starting a new position as an Outreach Park Ranger at Muir Woods National Monument in the Interpretation, Education, and Outreach division in June 2022. My main job is inspiring the next generation of park users, advocates, and stewards with the joy and wonder of the woods. On top of that I also support day-to-day operations, interacting with our guests, answering questions and phone calls, giving public programs. I am also a member of GOGA’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee, which hosts events for park staff, partners, and sometimes the public. And when I can find the time, I am a member of the Asian American and Pacific Islander Employee Resource Group, where I mostly attend meetings but occasionally help plan in-person events.

Becca, Lucien, Ronni, and Jackson at Baker Beach celebrating MLK Day 2022 with a Service Event

NPS Photo

What do you find most rewarding about your job?

Becca: Working with such brilliant and passionate people such as Jackson, Lu, and Ronni makes my job so rewarding! It helps that I have so many other AAPI colleagues to lean on to help tell others from our community that this is a place that they can see themselves, either recreating, stewarding, or working. Also cannot forget the main reason I am here, to help support and inspire the next generation and work alongside them as we steward these lands for the enjoyment of all.

Jackson: The most rewarding thing about my job is seeing people enjoy themselves, spending time with loved ones, and building our curiosities of the natural world and cultural history.

Becca, Jackson, and other awesome staff during a Community Science Service-Learning Event at Muir Woods

NPS Photo

What does it mean to you to represent your community?

Becca: At Golden Gate National Recreation Area, our neighboring communities consists of many Asian youth and for me, it’s important that they see themselves here at the park. Wearing the NPS uniform gives me and them lots of pride and communicates to them that we can be public servants too. I love bringing in li xi (red envelopes) during Lunar New Years and making Bao Buns (Chinese steamed buns) to share at volunteer service events.

Jackson: Being an Asian man with long hair in my Park Ranger uniform is wonderful! I get to represent the NPS while also representing my community, specifically the Chinese-American community. There aren't a lot of us who have chosen or get to work for the NPS. It's especially fun when I get to use my first language of Cantonese with visitors. Besides representing my community, it’s also wonderful to be IN the community, like when I get to work with Becca on a variety of projects and programs, sometimes as organizers, and sometimes as community members.

Becca’s handmade book earrings

Courtesy of Rebecca Au

What are your hobbies?

Becca: Arts and crafts! Growing up in the United States as an immigrant meant that my family had to start over. Any resources we had went towards focusing on basic needs. Which meant, as a kid, whenever I would be invited to birthday parties, I’d always be the person who wouldn’t be able to bring a gift for my friend. It was from then on that I wanted to get better at drawing and learn skills that could yield presents for my friends. That led me to pursue an education in illustration and fine arts and whenever I can give a handmade gift to a friend or utilize my drawing skills -- I can feel proud that my education was worth it!

Jackson with troop 511 in 2003 with the Scout Society of Rosemead

Courtesy of the Scout Society of Rosemead

Jackson: Enjoying the outdoors wasn't something that my parents or my family introduced me to. It was the Boy Scouts of America. And it was something that I was immediately enamored by - being outside, hiking, camping, etc. I loved spending time by the campfire with other people and also alone with the glowing embers. I made a lot of terrible meals, but I've gotten better and made many more good ones. There's nothing quite like sharing a meal together while listening to the birds sing, or the sky change colors, or having the occasional squirrel or chipmunk approach the table. Essentially, I just love being outside and learning about the natural world and sharing it with other people, often with coffee and/or a hot meal.

Becca and her mom riding a bike in their home in Saigon, Vietnam

Courtesy of Rebecca Au

What advice do you have for youth and young adults thinking about a career at NPS?

Becca: It’s important to surround yourself with people who support you at work. Especially if you are a minority, connecting with others who share cultural connections with you goes a long way! Growing up as a first generation immigrant, meant that I often suffered crisis' of identities - am I Chinese, Vietnamese, and American enough? My parents left everything behind so that I could have a "better life" and in their definition that life looks very different than the one that I have now. Parks also hold a different meaning for my parents who grew up in Saigon, Vietnam. According to my mom, she felt that there weren't many opportunities to recreate safely in the outdoors and recalls it being a generally dangerous place. In Vietnam, my mom and I would play indoors together when I was little, we would ride bikes and blow bubbles which is an activity that is normally enjoyed outdoors here. I strive to share my work with my mom so that she can better understand how much joy and meaning that the work that I do at the NPS brings me and the communities that I serve. I want her to know that parks in the United States are places of recreation, joy, and connection.

Since Jackson and I both share identities as Chinese American, often we don’t need to explain to one another about our cultures because there is a mutual understanding and respect. When my mom sees me side-by-side with another Chinese-American colleague, I hope she knows that I have people at work who can also understand me. I believe that AAPI representation in this field means so much, not only to younger generations, and also to older ones trying to visualize a life that may be different than the one they grew up knowing for themselves.

Jackson: A career in the NPS can be as easy as volunteering once a week at a local NPS site, of which there are over 400 units. The next step up may be an internship, of which there are many kinds, from short summer seasons to full year-long internships. And if one has enough experience or a college degree, seasonal jobs with the NPS are a great way to test out the waters before jumping in. Like most other jobs, NPS is an organization, and so there are many more jobs/careers besides the front-line interpretive rangers, such as administration, IT, trails, natural resources, maintenance, etc. As Becca mentions, find and offer support where you can. Sometimes it’s with people who share a common identity or interest, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised with people who don’t share identities or interests can still find a lot of common ground. Find, build, and maintain your network of friends, supporters, and colleagues.

Left image
Becca snowshoeing with interns at the Grand Tetons during NPS academy
Credit: NPS Photo

Right image
Jackson at Junior Ranger Day in Alcatraz Island
Credit: NPS Photo