My Projects

My Capstone Project for a Master's of Science in Conservation Leadership. The purpose of this project was to assist the FoCo Cafe in its mission to provide nutritious and delicious meals to the people of Fort Collins, no matter their ability to pay. The program I focused on, the Kids Feeding Kids Summer Breakfast Program, provides extra relief to families in the area who suffer from higher rates of food insecurity when school food programs, like free and reduced lunch, go away during the summer. The program provides a free, healthy meal to children and their families along with fun, educational activities that focus on health, nature, and community building. Through this experience we hope to increase food security and overall well-being, empower families, create excitement about the natural world and promote community building experiences.
As the lead intern and program coordinator, I was responsible for project planning, implementation, and evaluation of the Breakfast Program. This Capstone Project focuses on adding informal
environmental activities and program evaluation to a pre-existing program. In terms of conservation, the project will focus on human development and connecting marginalized communities to their natural world. This is especially important for the future of conservation as children who grow up in low-income households are less likely to experience the same kinds of outdoor recreation activities as their more privileged peers. Research shows that these types of experiences in early life are related to more pro-environmental values, attitudes and behaviors later on.