WEBVTT

00:00:02.460 --> 00:00:16.480

 [Music]
 
 0:00:14.559,0:00:18.560
 hi everyone my name is julian gutierrez
 
 0:00:16.480,0:00:20.320
 i'm a latino heritage intern here at
 
 0:00:18.560,0:00:22.080
 fire island national seashore
 
 0:00:20.320,0:00:23.600
 this is my second season with the
 
 0:00:22.080,0:00:25.359
 program
 
 0:00:23.600,0:00:27.279
 latino heritage internship program
 
 0:00:25.359,0:00:28.080
 provides great opportunities for young
 
 0:00:27.279,0:00:29.439
 people like me
 
 0:00:28.080,0:00:32.000
 to explore the careers that i might
 
 0:00:29.439,0:00:32.640
 pursue to experience incredible national
 
 0:00:32.000,0:00:34.320
 parks
 
 0:00:32.640,0:00:35.760
 and to learn from and interact with
 
 0:00:34.320,0:00:36.640
 professionals in the fields of
 
 0:00:35.760,0:00:39.360
 conservation
 
 0:00:36.640,0:00:39.360
 and education
 
 0:00:41.440,0:00:45.440
 recently i had the chance to sit down
 
 0:00:43.440,0:00:47.360
 with fire island superintendent alex
 
 0:00:45.440,0:00:49.440
 romero and national park service
 
 0:00:47.360,0:00:51.680
 deputy director david villa to talk
 
 0:00:49.440,0:00:52.879
 about their experiences as latinos and
 
 0:00:51.680,0:00:59.840
 national parks
 
 0:00:52.879,0:00:59.840
 and the world of conservation
 
 0:01:00.720,0:01:07.600
 [Music]
 
 0:01:04.080,0:01:11.280
 because preserving our nation's public
 
 0:01:07.600,0:01:11.280
 lands is part of our birthright
 
 0:01:11.680,0:01:15.920
 and if we don't help to get involved and
 
 0:01:14.320,0:01:19.200
 engaged
 
 0:01:15.920,0:01:21.200
 we're not going to be successful so we
 
 0:01:19.200,0:01:22.159
 have to see ourselves in these public
 
 0:01:21.200,0:01:23.600
 lands
 
 0:01:22.159,0:01:25.680
 because they're part of who we are as
 
 0:01:23.600,0:01:28.720
 americans and it's
 
 0:01:25.680,0:01:31.439
 critical whether they decide to pursue a
 
 0:01:28.720,0:01:34.560
 career in the national park service
 
 0:01:31.439,0:01:35.840
 that's a good thing but it's mainly why
 
 0:01:34.560,0:01:39.439
 these places are so
 
 0:01:35.840,0:01:42.079
 important and their role in them
 
 0:01:39.439,0:01:44.640
 and so if we do anything is important
 
 0:01:42.079,0:01:47.119
 impart upon them
 
 0:01:44.640,0:01:48.799
 what is their inherent responsibility as
 
 0:01:47.119,0:01:51.920
 american citizens
 
 0:01:48.799,0:01:53.759
 to protect our nation's history and our
 
 0:01:51.920,0:01:57.360
 nation's resources
 
 0:01:53.759,0:02:00.960
 and that they have a role in and
 
 0:01:57.360,0:02:00.960
 and i strongly encourage that that
 
 0:02:02.030,0:02:06.049
 [Music]
 
 0:02:06.840,0:02:09.920
 happened
 
 0:02:08.080,0:02:11.440
 oh yeah that's a great question because
 
 0:02:09.920,0:02:14.319
 so often you know
 
 0:02:11.440,0:02:16.959
 we are a great agency we offer
 
 0:02:14.319,0:02:20.000
 incredible experiences
 
 0:02:16.959,0:02:24.480
 we can't do it alone we need partners
 
 0:02:20.000,0:02:26.959
 to engage our underserved communities
 
 0:02:24.480,0:02:29.920
 or communities that are not represented
 
 0:02:26.959,0:02:33.040
 in our national parks
 
 0:02:29.920,0:02:35.680
 to help us with our mission to inspire
 
 0:02:33.040,0:02:38.959
 the next generation of stewards
 
 0:02:35.680,0:02:42.400
 whether it's volunteerism
 
 0:02:38.959,0:02:45.120
 employment or just knowledge just
 
 0:02:42.400,0:02:46.000
 understanding that we are here to
 
 0:02:45.120,0:02:48.720
 protect these
 
 0:02:46.000,0:02:51.760
 resources for your children and their
 
 0:02:48.720,0:02:53.519
 children and their children's children
 
 0:02:51.760,0:02:56.319
 we can't do it alone so we need our
 
 0:02:53.519,0:02:58.319
 partners to engage with those
 
 0:02:56.319,0:03:00.000
 groups of folks that are just not coming
 
 0:02:58.319,0:03:05.490
 to our parks to understand what we have
 
 0:03:00.000,0:03:09.969
 to offer
 
 0:03:05.490,0:03:09.969
 [Music]
 
 0:03:10.560,0:03:14.720
 uh george melinda's wright
 
 0:03:13.130,0:03:17.599
 [Music]
 
 0:03:14.720,0:03:19.840
 who was one of the early trailblazers in
 
 0:03:17.599,0:03:21.680
 the national park service
 
 0:03:19.840,0:03:24.799
 that helped to generate and produce the
 
 0:03:21.680,0:03:27.599
 science that we use today
 
 0:03:24.799,0:03:28.640
 i learned about him much later in my
 
 0:03:27.599,0:03:32.400
 career
 
 0:03:28.640,0:03:36.080
 but was just fascinated by what he did
 
 0:03:32.400,0:03:39.760
 and a lot of what he did was
 
 0:03:36.080,0:03:42.480
 paid for out of his own personal funds
 
 0:03:39.760,0:03:44.480
 but i also had a number of mentors
 
 0:03:42.480,0:03:48.959
 latinos
 
 0:03:44.480,0:03:52.879
 that uh that also
 
 0:03:48.959,0:03:56.080
 inspired me to um
 
 0:03:52.879,0:03:57.840
 to look at all that the national park
 
 0:03:56.080,0:03:59.920
 service has to offer from
 
 0:03:57.840,0:04:02.400
 research stewardship to law enforcement
 
 0:03:59.920,0:04:05.760
 to interpretation visitor services
 
 0:04:02.400,0:04:09.680
 and clearly into management so
 
 0:04:05.760,0:04:12.959
 i i credit my career to
 
 0:04:09.680,0:04:12.959
 those latino
 
 0:04:13.360,0:04:19.130
 managers mentors that open doors of
 
 0:04:16.400,0:04:27.680
 opportunity for me
 
 0:04:19.130,0:04:30.880
 [Music]
 
 0:04:27.680,0:04:32.000
 you uh as an intern uh you are finding a
 
 0:04:30.880,0:04:35.600
 path right now
 
 0:04:32.000,0:04:38.320
 you are you are on an adventure
 
 0:04:35.600,0:04:39.280
 that's going to define where you're
 
 0:04:38.320,0:04:42.240
 going to end up
 
 0:04:39.280,0:04:43.520
 and it's okay to have a shift midi
 
 0:04:42.240,0:04:45.280
 career right you could
 
 0:04:43.520,0:04:47.120
 you can say all right i tried this out
 
 0:04:45.280,0:04:48.560
 but i want to go in a different
 
 0:04:47.120,0:04:50.560
 direction that's exactly what happened
 
 0:04:48.560,0:04:52.400
 to me i started out in public health
 
 0:04:50.560,0:04:54.400
 loved working in public health but
 
 0:04:52.400,0:04:56.000
 shifted my career in operations because
 
 0:04:54.400,0:04:58.560
 i felt that was my passion
 
 0:04:56.000,0:04:59.360
 working with communities working with
 
 0:04:58.560,0:05:02.560
 staff
 
 0:04:59.360,0:05:04.240
 and just the full portfolio of what is a
 
 0:05:02.560,0:05:07.600
 park operation
 
 0:05:04.240,0:05:10.479
 so for interns it's really dabbling
 
 0:05:07.600,0:05:24.160
 in what it could be your career path to
 
 0:05:10.479,0:05:26.880
 your future
 
 0:05:24.160,0:05:28.720
 take it take advantage of every
 
 0:05:26.880,0:05:30.880
 opportunity
 
 0:05:28.720,0:05:33.360
 that is available to include even
 
 0:05:30.880,0:05:35.280
 volunteering at a national park site
 
 0:05:33.360,0:05:37.120
 because it still counts as paid
 
 0:05:35.280,0:05:40.479
 experience
 
 0:05:37.120,0:05:41.520
 programs uh like the program that you're
 
 0:05:40.479,0:05:44.479
 involved in
 
 0:05:41.520,0:05:45.280
 enable you to create a network of
 
 0:05:44.479,0:05:48.479
 opportunity
 
 0:05:45.280,0:05:51.440
 right all it takes is
 
 0:05:48.479,0:05:52.080
 one experience in a national park i
 
 0:05:51.440,0:05:55.120
 truly believe
 
 0:05:52.080,0:05:58.080
 this because i'm the example of it
 
 0:05:55.120,0:05:59.280
 uh one experience changed my life
 
 0:05:58.080,0:06:01.919
 literally
 
 0:05:59.280,0:06:04.160
 and when i saw that uniform i knew
 
 0:06:01.919,0:06:07.759
 exactly what i wanted to do
 
 0:06:04.160,0:06:10.639
 that simple contact with it with a
 
 0:06:07.759,0:06:11.759
 you know a child or a young adult no
 
 0:06:10.639,0:06:14.000
 matter who they are
 
 0:06:11.759,0:06:16.400
 what their financial status is what
 
 0:06:14.000,0:06:18.840
 community they come from
 
 0:06:16.400,0:06:22.639
 wearing that uniform and that simple
 
 0:06:18.840,0:06:25.120
 contact could change their life
 
 0:06:22.639,0:06:26.240
 because they might see themselves in
 
 0:06:25.120,0:06:28.760
 that uniform
 
 0:06:26.240,0:06:32.639
 especially for telling their stories
 
 0:06:28.760,0:06:34.720
 [Music]
 
 0:06:32.639,0:06:36.960
 i am thankful for the opportunity to
 
 0:06:34.720,0:06:40.000
 have a conversation with alex and david
 
 0:06:36.960,0:06:41.520
 about latinos and conservation thank you
 
 0:06:40.000,0:06:43.039
 to the latino heritage internship
 
 0:06:41.520,0:06:44.960
 program and their partners environment
 
 0:06:43.039,0:06:45.919
 for the americas and hispanic access
 
 0:06:44.960,0:06:47.680
 foundation
 
 0:06:45.919,0:06:49.360
 for making this opportunity possible for
 
 0:06:47.680,0:07:03.690
 me and for helping
 
 0:06:49.360,0:07:06.880
 to create a space for latino voices
 
 0:07:03.690,0:07:08.960
 [Music]
 
 0:07:06.880,0:07:08.960
 you