Clara: The Success Story of an Aspiring Conservationist

Clara started her Corps journey in December 2025 and worked in the Zero Waste department for six months. Even in such a short timeframe, she was able to achieve her goal of gaining experience in conservation. She shares that she “got a lot of really cool certifications out of it and a good community.” Clara lists the wildland firefighter and forklift certifications as being a particular highlight. “It was a cool learning environment…it was just a really cool opportunity that was offered to me that I'd always wanted to do.”

Clara’s favorite parts of working in the Zero Waste Department were the people she worked with, including her supervisor, Lourdes, and the ability to see the “immediate tangible effects” of her work. Clara states, “It was cool to be immediately involved in the process. I really enjoyed it.”

Today, Clara works as a community engagement intern at Peninsula Open Space Land Trust. Clara gained many skills at the Corps that have carried over to her current position, including community outreach and an understanding of waste management. “I just know about the operations of conservation in the Bay Area. I know more of the partners. I’m better at engaging with the community in the Bay.”

Clara finds that she is able to apply what she learned in Zero Waste to her work at Peninsula Open Space Land Trust. She states, “the land trust is about conserving or buying land and saving it for the purpose of conservation. They also collaborated with the Corps on one land project, which I thought was really cool.” Clara adds, “I would say what I'm doing now is similar to what I would do at the Corps when I was doing any of the door-to-door canvassing. I'm engaging with community members and telling them about the [environmental] impact.”

As Clara reflects on her time at the Corps and how it has helped build her career, she recommends new and incoming corpsmembers to take advantage of the trainings. “Just take every opportunity to learn new things, and gain new certifications and skills while you're there.”