Although she graduated from the Berklee College of Music with a degree in songwriting, Julia has always had a passion for the outdoors. She grew up going to sleepaway camp in the Sierras and camping in National Parks. Her favorite parks are Grand Teton in Wyoming and her “hometown” park, Joshua Tree. It is this love for the outdoors and the knowledge that it must be protected that lead her towards a career in outdoor education.

With the goal of gaining experience in and knowledge about the environmental field, Julia began volunteering for Community Nature Connection. There she helps further their goal of increasing equity and access to outdoor spaces by supporting on community programs and working on the habitat restoration effort at Elyria Canyon Park. She absolutely loves the work of removing invasive species and propagating native plants to restore the park to its native glory! Through CNC Julia also completed the California Naturalist Certification course.

When she’s not hiking, Julia is playing music with her band, climbing, crocheting, and tending her native plant garden.

Through her own education of native plants, hydrology, traditional ecological knowledge and habitat restoration, Julia realized education is a crucial first step to get others excited about protecting our planet. She believes that being able to greet plants by name forges a connection between ourselves and the environment, and in turn inspires us to care for it. She is so excited to continue inspiring campers at HAWKs to love, care for, and protect the land we call home.