Valerie basically grew up outdoors. As a young child, she could always be found outside --whether it be playing in her backyard, swimming in the pool, or playing soccer, she just enjoyed being outside. Growing up in Sacramento, it was the perfect place to live when some of the best nature reservations are only a couple hours away --Point Reyes to the West, Lake Tahoe in the East, and Yosemite towards the South. She visited these places a few times as a young adult, which sparked her passion for nature conservation and sustainability, so it's no wonder why she decided to major in Earth Systems Science. At UC Merced, she has worked as the Green Labs Intern for the Office of Sustainability and as an undergraduate research in both the O'day and Abatzoglou research labs. After graduation, she hopes to pursue a career in the Conservation and Sustainability field, where she can put her passion into advocation, litigation and strive for change. She is also considering attending graduate school sometime in the near future.
