Following a few difficult life situations, Alana found herself feeling weak, both mentally and physically. She dropped out of college and moved to Albuquerque. Her cousin had just finished a season at RMYC, and when Alana learned about the educational scholarship and that she could get paid to be outside, her strength started returning. Her experience at RMYC taught her skills she never knew she had such as how to build a trail and use a crosscut saw.
“My experience at RMYC was literally life changing. It built my physical and mental strength by using tools, hiking, and camping. I felt stronger than I ever had in my entire life.” She and her crew removed 400 trees from different trails in the White Mountain Wilderness in the Lincoln National Forest and the Rio Gallina Trail in the Santa Fe National Forest. She used her scholarship to complete the last semester of her degree in business administration, then she returned to RMYC in 2020 so she could learn even more skills.
“RMYC provided me with the connections that helped me be aware of “green” job opportunities. Not long after graduation she found the perfect internship at the Bureau of Reclamation. “My connections to RMYC are what made me aware of the internship at the Bureau of Reclamation.”
“When I dropped out of school I was one semester away from graduating. And joining RMYC is what gave me a love and an interest for working in conservation and with natural resources. When I left to complete my degree, I knew that I was inspired to pursue a career where I would continue to work with the environment, but I had no clue how business was going to fit into the picture. So that’s why when the internship opportunity presented itself I thought, ‘Yes, I can combine both worlds!’”
“Working in nature was incredibly healing along with the sense of community I felt with my crew. We experienced a great sense of accomplishment. We did things as a crew that none of us could have done alone.” – Alana Holland. 2020 Alumni.
Congratulations Alana on your success. We know you will do great things for yourself and your community.