My Park Story: Deb Gardecki

Deb smiles at Grand Canyon.

NPS/Deb Gardecki

Where are you from? What was your pathway to the National Park Service (NPS)?

I was born and have lived in Pennsylvania all my life but did not get to visit my first National Park until I was an adult. I love traveling, hiking, camping and generally just being outdoors as much as possible so when I had kids I started bringing them across the country to visit as many parks as possible. I recently retired and was excited to apply for my first volunteer position.

What interested you in the National Park Service?

Volunteering with the Parks Service brings together all of my skills and allows me to continue helping others during my retirement, all while learning new things and living in a super cool environment.

Deb boating the Colorado River though Glen Canyon.

NPS/ Deb Gardecki

What do you do for NPS?

I volunteer with the Interp Division and work mostly at the Carl Hayden Visitor Center. I have also been lucky enough to be involved in Astronomy Parties, Solar Viewing events, roving, and the Love Your Lake Volunteer Clean Up event.

What do you find most rewarding about your job?

I really enjoy meeting and helping people and providing them with information and the Visitor Center allows me to do this all day. I have Master’s degrees in American Social History and in Library Science and I have worked as a public, academic, school, and specialist librarian, and as an archivist at Penn State University. I was an elementary school teacher/librarian and taught Business Writing and Technical Writing at Penn State. Learning new information and sharing that with others has been a constant through most of my work life.

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

I would say to go for it. I wish I could turn back time to have had a career with NPS. Having the opportunity to meet amazing people, live in beautiful environments, perform a variety of tasks, do important work, and learn new skills is an excellent way to keep your passion for your career alive.

Do you have any hobbies outside of the NPS?

Outside of volunteering, I keep busy by being outdoors gardening, camping and hiking. I love traveling and will definitely continue exploring the world, particularly Europe. I love reading and am hoping to do some writing during retirement. As an artist, I need to be creative, my latest obsession is making landscape art quilts based on photos I’ve taken, and I’m currently living in Page in a campervan that I built out myself. Most fun project ever.

Deb hiking the Camino de Santiago in Spain.

NPS/ Deb Gardecki