​2016-2017 STEM VISTAs below!

Chelsea Silva
Friends of the Rio de Flag and the City of Flagstaff Sustainability Section
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Hello there! I am a recent graduate from Northern Arizona University’s Environmental Sciences & Policy graduate program in the School of Earth Sciences and Environmental Sustainability. My passions include cycling, cooking, painting, reading, and uncovering the wonders of the natural world through observation and inquiry. I value the guidance and advice of my family and friends, and enjoy great satisfaction in meeting new people whose unique life journeys bring new knowledge to my worldview. I'm told that if I were a bird, I would be a violet-green swallow, swooping about catching insects along the river bank, and nesting peacefully in a tree cavity out West.

For the next year, I will serve as an AmeriCorps STEM VISTA volunteer through a joint partnership with the City of Flagstaff’s Sustainability Section and the Friends of the Rio de Flag. In my new role as the Watershed Stewardship Aide, I will recruit schools to act as watershed stewards with an emphasis on place-based education, citizen science, and restoration activities. I will also develop fundraising strategies to enhance and sustain watershed stewardship throughout the Flagstaff community. Through these efforts, I aspire to contribute to the broader VISTA goals of capacity building and community empowerment. I am truly grateful for this unique opportunity to serve in Flagstaff, and I look forward to working with community stewards as I seek to achieve these goals.
Dylan Lenzen
City of Flagstaff Sustainability Section

I’m excited to be serving as an AmeriCorps VISTA member with the City of Flagstaff’s Sustainability Program. This will actually be my second year serving with the Sustainability Program and am excited to build off of the progress made in my first term. Throughout this next year, my focus will be working with community partners to expand and create programs that provide opportunities for low-income youth and their families to engage with sustainability topics. In particular, I’m very excited to develop a new outreach volunteer program called “Master Recyclers” that will hopefully allow the City and community partners to educate the Flagstaff community about recycling, composting, thoughtful consumption and more.

Over the next year, I hope to draw on my recently completed education at Northern Arizona University as an environmental science major. As an undergrad, I gained experience researching environmental policy, as well as working for an environmental justice organization where I assisted communities looking to achieve a healthy and sustainable environment. In addition to empowering individuals with sustainability knowledge and tools, my passions include exploring northern Arizona by bicycle, reading and listening to live music.  
Geoffrey Kie
Arizona Historical Society

Gu’wah’tze. Growing up around places of cultural importance it was synonymous with respecting the land, air and water around me. Cultural values of respect have been the main driver in how I have gone through my day to day life and I firmly believe that how I got to this point in life. I have had the opportunity to attend various programs which had influential leaders. Learning about humbleness I incorporate that into my life as much as I can. But altogether I can simply say I have learned a lot from my grandfathers.
I grew up and attended school for the majority of my life within the Pueblo of Laguna but seeking a challenge my family was supportive and allowed me to attend school in Albuquerque, N.M. which had Advanced Placement classes I desired. Being involved with the school paper the facilitator encouraged me to apply to NAU. My academic endeavors were always supported by my family and encouraged me to attend the university.
While attending NAU I was involved with Connecting Higher Education Indigenously and soon became part of the club’s leadership position. I have gained vast amounts of knowledge with the professors within the Applied Indigenous Studies and do wish to make an impact within my community in the future.  
During my time here I have met the love of my life and married last year. My wife being a VISTA in the past, encouraged me to see if there was a place for me in the AmeriCorps family. Which brings us to now where I have begun to know a great family in the Arizona Historical Society. I am really excited to work with AHS and connecting places of importance to STEM education and engaging the Flagstaff community.  I had worked as a line cook for five years prior to this VISTA position but still consider cooking a passion of mine.

The picture is of my parents and myself at the Native American Convocation 
Holly Havlicek
Center for Science Teaching and Learning, Northern Arizona University

Hello! I just graduated in May from Dominican University with my Master’s in Library and Information Science. Prior to that I attended Northern Michigan University and received my Bachelor of Science in Marketing. Things that I love include my cat Gunther, traveling the world, reading, being outdoors, cooking, and drinking a fine cup of coffee. I originally hail from the Windy City, Chicago. This is a pretty big change of scenery for me but I love the change and am so excited for my year in Flagstaff. I love my very big family and have a wonderful group of friends back home but I am also excited to meet many new people.

I will be working at Northern Arizona University’s Center for Science Teaching and Learning and will be helping rebuild their database, and aiding in marketing efforts in order to recruit more STEM teachers. It is key that we reach educators while they are in school themselves learning how to become teachers. If we can reach them at that point and show them the importance of STEM education that can make all the difference for our future generations to come. 
Jake Burwell
Killip Elementary School

Hello all! I am the STEM Capacity Development VISTA for Killip Elementary. I have a really wide range of hobbies and passions from hiking, backpacking, and snowboarding to accutonic therapy, flow arts, and environmental sustainability. I’m originally from a small ski town in Northern Colorado called Steamboat Springs and I moved to Flagstaff to study Environmental Engineering (and snowboard of course!). However, my desire and passion to help serve compelled me to take a break and focus on helping a greater community and expand the range of my professional development. I am absolutely ecstatic about my first year as a National Service member and I hope to do amazing things for the Killip community. Although I am the youngest VISTA on the Flagstaff STEM City Project, my philosophy is, “shoot for the stars and you will shake the universe.” 
Kate Stanley
Grand Canyon Youth

I have worked, and traveled, to many different corners of the West, and hold its culture and landscape very dear. I am really excited to bring my passion and interest of experiential education to my work with AmeriCorps VISTA. I have spent several years as an outdoor education in the desert and mountains, worked a season or two as a vegetable farmer, and have acted as logistical staff for educational programs.  My academic focus has been on place-based education and environmental anthropology, combining how learn with how we interact with the natural world. I am thrilled to integrate all these ideas into my position with the Flagstaff STEM Education Project. When not at work, I enjoy exploring the canyons and mountains, preserving food, hanging out with dogs and riding bikes around town. 
Maria Archibald
Grand Canyon Trust

I grew up in central North Carolina on the banks of the Eno River, where I developed a passion for being outside and protecting the environment. In 2015, I graduated from the University of North Carolina at Asheville with a degree in Environmental Anthropology, and have since traveled around the country working in environmental education. I worked as a Naturalist for the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies, where I taught ecology and led interpretive hiking tours in Aspen, Colorado, as an Environmental Educator for The Ecology School, where I taught science to groups of students in the outdoor classrooms of southern Maine, and as a Naturalist for Point Reyes Summer Camp, where I led outdoor activities and backpacking trips in the Point Reyes National Seashore. I am excited to move to Flagstaff, where I will be the Youth Engagement Coordinator for Grand Canyon Trust. 
Meg Adakai
Museum of Northern Arizona

I am a Flagstaff native and spent years during my childhood running around my site, the Museum of Northern Arizona (MNA). I lived here when I was a teenager while my dad painted a mural in the kiva gallery, and I have worked and volunteered here off and on for most of my adult life. I am a graduate of Northern Arizona University with dual majors in biomedical science and psychology with a minor in chemistry. While at NAU, I worked in a stream ecology lab assisting in entomology and symbiotic relationship research on Fossil Creek and Beaver Creek. I also worked in a cellular and molecular biology lab doing research funded by The Partnership for Native American Cancer Prevention studying possible molecular mechanisms of cancer. I love science in all its beautiful shapes and forms! I am especially passionate about conservation and appreciating the beauty and wonder of nature.
Because of my long history with MNA, as well as my love of natural spaces especially around northern Arizona, I truly believe in their mission which is to inspire a sense of love and responsibility for the beauty and diversity of the Colorado Plateau through collecting, studying, interpreting, and preserving the region's natural and cultural heritage. I believe MNA has unique opportunities to spread STEM education through projects learning about Environmental Science, Forestry, Hydrology, Ecology, Biology and all sub fields, Geology, Paleontology, Archeology, Anthropology, Reclamation and Clean Energy Technology, Pollution Control, Water Conservation and Treatment Technology, Environmental Engineering, LEED Building Engineering, and math. I also think that framing STEM education in this way may draw interest from historically underrepresented groups such as many of the Native American tribes around the Colorado Plateau, whose lives and history are deeply connected to the land. I would like to get more youth from these tribes involved with STEM education at MNA in addition to the youth living in Flagstaff and surrounding rural areas. 
Megan Carmel
Flagstaff Area National Monuments

I am working as an AmeriCorps VISTA member this year with the Flagstaff Area National Monuments (National Park Service).  My official title is Public Outreach and STEM Education Liaison.  I am originally from Columbus, Ohio and have always been fascinated by weather and climate.  I received my Bachelor’s degree from Ohio State University in Environmental Geography, then came to Flagstaff and received my Master’s in Climate Science and Solutions.  This year, I will be developing curriculum and performing outreach to schools working with at-risk youth to get these young folks working on service learning projects related to climate change, archaeology, and ultimately, STEM.  I am passionate about climate phenomena and how humans interact with our natural world, so I am so excited to be developing curriculum around these topics.  The Flagstaff region is a fantastic place to study, work, and learn more about culture and climate change due to its arid alpine environment and rich cultural history.  Areas like ours are so susceptible to environmental change, so I hope this will be a great opportunity for these young people to learn, spark an interest, and begin asking questions about what’s going on right in their own backyard.  I am thrilled for this opportunity and can’t wait to see what this year will bring!
Mira Peterson
NAU Action Learning Teams

I am a Flagstaff native who has recently moved back after being away for 14 years. I'm happy to be back and to live and work in the community that I grew up in. Through my life experiences I have come to be passionate about living a Zero waste lifestyle, playing in rivers (often), exploring canyons, practicing permaculture, getting my hands into soil, traveling anywhere often, reading anything and enjoying sunshine. 


For the next year, I will serve as an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer with Flagstaff STEM project by working with NAU's  Action Learning Teams. I will be working alongside NAU freshmen, their professors, and community organizations to foster connections between NAU and the community through social justice oriented projects. I look forward to the community connections that I hope to make this year. 
Robert McCann
STAR School

I have been a software developer and cartographer for the last 15 years working mostly in the oil & gas industry.  A life long maker, I grew up under the carful eye of my stepfather, one of a dying breed of true craftsman, doing fabrication, auto mechanics, and building houses.
I grew up in the southwest and have lived in various parts of Arizona, California and Colorado most of my life.  I'm an avid hiker and outdoors person, having grown up in the San Juan mountains.  I hiked the Colorado trail after quitting my corporate lifestyle and ended up moving near Flagstaff to reconnect with my bio-dad.  I now live off-grid near my project site of STAR school with my fiancé and cat.
I briefly studied computer engineering, but dropped out due to the cost, boredom, and a job offer doing GIS cartography.  Following in the footsteps of my grandfather, an "engineer without a degree" working at Stanford Research Institute, I have pursued my interests in electronics, computers and engineering on my own.
I am now working at STAR school setting up a makerspace and creating project based curriculum, which I'm extremely excited to be doing.  STAR is the first off grid school in the US, serving mostly Navajo students.  It is extremely gratifying to get to apply my interests and skills to such an underserved population.
Vicki Anderson
The Wonder Factory and
Kinsey Elementary School

Hello! I have recently retired after 25 years of elementary teaching to Flagstaff! We found this utopia when rock-climbing in Sedona and Oak Creek. Before I was a teacher, I was a nutritionist and a social worker. My most fun experience was as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Micronesia! Most of my teaching career included running science clubs, science camps, an after school STEM Academy, and a Maker Space. I even taught these subjects at International Schools in Brazil, Philippines, and Italy. I love STEM and was happy to find a position with the Flagstaff STEM Education VISTA Project. I work through The Wonder Factory as a STEM curriculum developer. I hope to make many friends who care about our planet, want to invest in the future of our youth, and enjoy the outdoors.
Solar Smiles!!
Lisa Winters
Grand Canyon Trust

Armed with a background in aquatic ecology research and a love for talking science with kids of all ages, I am excited to be the new Citizen Science Volunteer Coordinator at Grand Canyon Trust! I look forward to creating connections between people and nature, with an emphasis on empowering citizens to conserve and protect our public lands. 
Kathy Farretta
STEM VISTA Leader

​I am serving as the VISTA Leader for the Flagstaff STEM Education Project. This project brings fifteen AmeriCorps VISTA members to Flagstaff in partnership with Flagstaff STEM City to help partner organizations increase Flagstaff’s capacity to provide STEM education opportunities to underserved populations.  For the past seventeen years I have worked in the museum and non-profit sector in Flagstaff managing and training volunteers, guiding tours, and giving public presentations to get people excited about science and history. I also serve on the Boards of the Flagstaff Festival of Science and the Grand Canyon Historical Society. When I am not teaching, or musing over the Progressive Era, I can be found hiking or curled up with a good book.
Erin O'Keefe
City of Flagstaff Sustainability Section

Ya'at'eeh! 
Shi ei Erin O'Keefe yinishye. To'aheedliinii nishli. Anishinaabe bashishchiin. Naakai ei dashicheii 'aadoo bilagaana ei dashinaali. 'Akot'eego adzaani nishli. 
I am Dine of the Water That Flows Together clan born for Lac Courte Oreilles Anishinaabe.  I grew up in Gallup, New Mexico and received my Bachelor of Arts in Applied Indigenous Studies and Bachelor of Science in Communication Studies from Northern Arizona University. I am passionate about working with youth on leadership development, Indigenous Nation building, and environmental sustainability.