STEM VISTA PROJECT

Flagstaff STEM VISTA Education Project

The Flagstaff STEM VISTA Education Project seeks to increase the academic performance of low-income youth in STEM fields and their interest in pursuing STEM careers.

The 2017-2018 VISTAs are off to a rocking start! You can read more about our new amazing Volunteers in Service to America below! If you are missing the 2016-2017 VISTAs as much as we are, just keep scrolling!

My name is Larrea Cottingham and I am the Climate and Energy VISTA at the City of Flagstaff through the Flagstaff STEM Education Project. In my role, I am working to expand the Sustainability Section’s outreach around climate and energy, both in schools and the community. I am currently working to develop a climate leadership academy for local high school students that will give students an opportunity to become more climate literate, and engage in place-based climate action and outreach at home, school and in their community. I am excited to work with community members and local organizations to create ambitious educational opportunities around climate and the environment for everyone in the Flagstaff community.

I moved to Flagstaff in 2014 to attend Northern Arizona University where I received a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Master of Arts in Teaching Science. Throughout college I played violin and viola in the NAU Symphony and Chamber Orchestra, and I still often play for the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra. I am passionate about ecological conservation and outdoor education, and I am inspired to create a career that combines my love of exploring wild places and desire to protect them. I love to spend as much time outside as possible, so I have worked in wildlife biology and as an instructor at the Colorado Outward Bound School. I am always eager to plan the next big adventure, but in the meantime, I can be found exploring the mountains, rivers, and canyons.

My name is Camille Alexander, and I am a first-year AmeriCorps VISTA member at STEM City. I am serving as their Evaluation Coordinator for this year, and my job is creating an inventory of STEM assets in Flagstaff and evaluating these programs for the purpose of bridging the gap between STEM leaders and institutions that traditionally serve students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. I am really excited for this year of service in a wonderful, tight-knit community.

I was born in Detroit, Michigan, but Phoenix has been home for most of my life. I graduated from Arizona State University with a B.S. in Biological Sciences, and served as an AmeriCorps member through the American Conservation Experience.

My goal is to attend graduate school in the near future and have a career in environmental education. I am most interested in teaching young children the importance of environmental stewardship so they will have a greater appreciation of our natural world as an adult. Everything that I learn through my year of service will put me in the right direction.

I look forward to working with you all!

My name is Julia Sullivan, and I am currently working as the AmeriCorps VISTA Youth Engagement Coordinator at Grand Canyon Trust. I grew up in the beautiful Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts before moving to Washington, DC to attend American University, where I earned degrees in Environmental Studies and International Development. I also spent much of my time as a college student training and competing as a member of American University’s cross country/track team. I graduated in 2014 and, after a stint working on international policy with The Nature Conservancy and coaching high school cross country in my hometown, decided to join the Peace Corps. During my two years as a Community Environmental Conservation Volunteer in Panama, I lived in a rural coffee-farming area and worked closely with community members to bring a number of conservation projects to fruition. I also had the opportunity to collaborate with teachers at the community school to facilitate sexual health workshops, leadership trainings, and camping trips with local youth.

Now back in the States, I’m thrilled to have made the move to Flagstaff and to be working in a position that combines my two great passions – environmental conservation and working with youth. This year, I look forward to connecting diverse young people to the natural splendor of the Colorado Plateau, inspiring them towards environmental stewardship and advocacy, and creating opportunities for them to step into leadership roles in the field of conservation.

My name is Nick Siskonen and I am the STEM VISTA at CAVIAT. I've lived in Flagstaff for over ten years. I originally moved to Sedona with my family in 1998, when I was seven years old. To people from Sedona, Flagstaff is the 'big city' you go to for weekend trips and exciting events. As a kid, Flagstaff meant adventure.

Then in 2007 my family moved to Flagstaff so I could attend Northland Preparatory Academy, sending me on a new academic adventure. After graduating high school, I attended our own Northern Arizona University and focused on psychology and criminal justice.

Since then, I have worked as an assistant in a real estate office for two years, but decided to follow in my older sister's footsteps of completing a year of service in the AmeriCorps VISTA program. The Coconino Association for Vocations, Industry and Technology (CAVIAT), is the Joint Technical Education District for Coconino County. I am now the Americorps VISTA at CAVIAT in charge of recruitment and marketing. Once again Flagstaff offers itself as a new adventure and I couldn't be more excited to see where it takes me!

My name is Dawn Pfeffer and I am the STEM VISTA at Killip STEM Academy. I graduated from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio with a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering. I fell in love with Flagstaff when my environmental engineering design teams traveled here in 2014 and 2015 and I knew then that I wanted to move here. When I graduated in May of 2015, I worked at an auto-mation company called Rovisys in Ohio for two years. I was a Lead Systems Engineer for various customers and industries. In April of 2017 I was finally able to make my move to Flagstaff and I couldn’t be happier.

I spent my first four months in Flagstaff working on a trail maintenance crew with Arizona Conservation Corps, an experience I wouldn’t trade for the world. I got to know the people and places that surround Flagstaff and it deepened my love for this amazing city. At the end of those four months I wanted to use my skills as an engineer to help this community grow, so I applied to the AmeriCorps VISTA position at Killip Elementary. I work with Ted Komada to build and modify the STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) curriculum to better prepare students for the years to come. This is yet another experience that I will cherish forever. I am dedicated to the Flagstaff community and I consider this place my home, so please say hello to me; I would love to meet you!

My name is Mary Cristina Berta and I am the STEM VISTA at the Coconino County Educational Services Agency. I will focus my service on grant writing and STEM education in the Flagstaff community.

I am a graduate of the University of California, Davis with degrees in Environmental Policy Analysis and Economics. I spent 10 years in environmental and educational consulting focusing on public outreach, resource conservation, data analysis and educational evaluation, particularly in STEM focused programming.

I have raised my family in Flagstaff for the past 7 years. We enjoy skiing, camping, hiking, exploring the flora and fauna of local forests and being together at home with our black lab and orange tabby cat. I have lived in several countries abroad but originally hail from Las Vegas, NV.

I’m looking forward to what I can contribute to the Flagstaff STEM Education Project at the CCESA.

My name is Sally Henkel and this year I’m working with the Grand Canyon Trust as their Citizen Science Volunteer Coordinator. I will be working towards engaging underrepresented youth in citizen science and making conservation more accessible. I just recently found my way down to Arizona from Missoula, Montana. While Montana has been home for several years, I fell in love with the Colorado plateau on an impromptu river trip a few years back.

I graduated with a BA in forensic anthropology and mountain studies. I have since moved all around working as an international trip leader, a field instructor in Yellowstone, a wildlife biologist, a teacher, a beer slinger, and adventure snack extraordinaire. Upon moving to Montana roughly five years ago, I began to discover the depth of my love for conservation and ecology. I’m passionate about connecting people to the landscape, wolverine conservation, and teaching ecological knowledge as a means to understand systems. When I’m not in the office, I can usually be found running around the woods, telling corny jokes or seeking winter- usually they all happen at once!

My name is Madison Ledgerwood. I am currently a STEM VISTA at Rethink Possible. I was raised and shaped in the southwest which nurtured my love for the land, and of all species. I relocated to indigenous land, Flagstaff, in 2010. This is where earned my degree in Environmental Studies, engaged with the community around the intersection of social and environmental issues in the Action Research Teams (ARTs), and began to uncover my own power and potential. Before long, I realized I wanted to more deeply understand what diverse experiences and understandings led individuals to begin fostering a thriving and harmonious world and what it took for them to devote themselves to such engagement and maintain their well-being. I researched this and earned my MA in Sustainable Communities. I also created Community and University Public Inquiry, an interdisciplinary community-based research program, while in graduate school.

Now, I yearn for a world in which people do not feel powerless but utterly capable; a world in which people dream of more sustainable, thriving futures and find their unique way to contribute to creating such a world. When I tune into the earth, the plants, the rocks, the wind at the base of the San Francisco Peaks, I know that hope is found in more of us finding our niche, in more of us finding the unique work we have to offer and that is needed now on the planet. I am committed to mentoring others who are searching for their skills, power and potential. I aim to spread light by blooming emerging seeds into empowered leaders. My STEM VISTA position cultivates my dream by providing me the opportunity to design curriculum, connect to volunteers in diverse fields, and expand the reach of a program that engages students around the “big questions” of college, such as what they want to major in and contribute to the world.

Grand Canyon Youth

I am Chelsea Silva and I am serving my second year as a STEM VISTA at the Friends of the Rio de Flag and the City of Flagstaff Sustainability Section. I graduated 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 a second year 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.Place holder text

I am Vicki Anderson, and I am serving my second year as a STEM VISTA at the Kinlani Bordertown Dormitories in Flagstaff. After teaching elementary school in California for 25 years, my husband and I found this utopia when rock-climbing in Sedona and Oak Creek, and moved to Flagstaff.

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.

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 am a second year VISTA with the Open Space division of the City of Flagstaff Sustainability Section.

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.

2016-2017 STEM VISTAs below!

Chelsea Silva
Friends of the Rio de Flag and the City of Flagstaff Sustainability Section

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 careful 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.

Flagstaff STEM VISTA Education Project

​2016-2017 STEM VISTAs below!

2016-2017 STEM VISTAs below!