The Emerald Newsletter | Kappa Delta Chi Sorority Fall 2016 | Page 18

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By Helen johnson, Beta Delta

I often say that I have two major organizations that I passionately love, Kappa Delta Chi

and the National Park Service and every time I get to have those worlds collide, it is a great day! I'm very lucky because that happens fairly frequently so thanks for providing another opportunity for that!

This year, 2016, is the centennial year of the National Park Service. It has been an interesting and amazing year to both work in and visit National Parks. The goal of the centennial has been to "connect with and create the next generation of park visitors, supporters, and advocates." This means that this year has been full of different events hosted by parks all over the country to attract visitors that wouldn't normally come to these places.

Currently, the National Park Service takes care of 413 of the countries most special spots. Normally, when people think of a National Park, they think of Yosemite, Yellowstone, the Everglades or the Grand Canyon. However, we take care of so much more! For example, Cesar Chavez's home is a national park, and the park I work at consists of four Spanish colonial missions in San Antonio, Texas. The NPS is really dedicated to preserving the story of all Americans, and that has been incredible to be a part of. In June, Stonewall Inn in New York City became the first national park to honor the stories of LGBT Americans, and was a very proud day for many rangers.

I am incredibly proud and blessed to be a National Park Ranger. I started as volunteer with the NPS when I was 13 at Lewis and Clark National Historical Park in Oregon, and I realized that this is what I was meant to do with my life. Then when I graduated high school I was hired as a student intern ranger under the Pathways program and I stayed in that program until I finished graduate school in 2015. At that point, using my non-competitive hiring status that was awarded to me from the Pathways program, I was able to be hired as a permanent interpretive ranger at the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park. As an interpretive ranger, I have the honor of being the ranger that greets visitors as they come into a park and then give them tours and ranger programs. So basically, I get paid to talk about history and science all day. Its incredible. This fall, I will be transferring to the Everglades in Florida where my job will also include kayaking with

manatees and sea turtles, like I said, I'm truly blessed to have this career.

The awesome thing about the NPS is that there are so many jobs. There are law enforcement officers, scientists, archaeologists, administrative personnel, human resources, media specialists,

maintenance and grounds keepers. Almost anything you can think of you can find in the National Park Service,

there are a variety of rewarding careers you can explore!

Visiting parks is also a rewarding experience! Since we have 413 units that tell so many stories, the NPS theme of the centennial is #FindYourPark. If you like the outdoors and hiking, there are tons of parks for that out West, and back East! Are you interested in civil rights? African American Burial Ground in New York City is a great place to visit, as is Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas. Texas is home to one of our newest National Parks, Waco Mammoth National Monument designated in June of 2015. New Mexico boasts some beautiful parks, Chaco Culture National Historical Park and White Sands National Monument just to name a few. One of the best things about National Parks, is that the majority of them are free! Only about a quarter of the parks charge a fee and if you contact the volunteer coordinator to set up a service

opportunity, you don't have to pay at the parks that do charge!

The parks really wouldn't be able to run without volunteers, so you can definitely combine service and fun in your National Parks!

So go out, and #FindYourPark!

To learn more about the National Park Service centennial or about a career within the National Park Service visit www.nps.gov.

Helen Johnson is a charter member from the Beta Delta chapter. She graduated in 2014 and then went on to attain her masters in education (M.Ed) at Portland State University. After graduation, she moved to the beautiful state of Texas where she connected with many sisters. She is currently in the process of moving to Florida to work at Everglades National Park. She loves to knit and hang out with her 16lb cat, George.

Happy 100 Years

National Park Service!

Helen Johnson is a charter member from the Beta Delta chapter. She graduated in 2014 and then went on to attain her masters in education (M.Ed) at Portland State University. After graduation, she moved to the beautiful state of Texas where she connected with many sisters. She is currently in the process of moving to Florida to work at Everglades National Park. She loves to knit and hang out with her 16lb cat, George.