Mariah grew up between a corn field and a dairy farm in southern Wisconsin and spent a lot of her childhood in her best friend’s backyard. She studied Environmental Science, Policy, and Management at the University of Minnesota, and quickly fell in love with tutoring chemistry, becoming a soil science Teaching Assistant, and working on a forest ecology research project. Her passion for science and natural history education led her to working three seasonal naturalist positions in Minnesota and two in Massachusetts. She gained confidence at these various state parks and nature centers and wanted to contribute to the outdoor education field in a different way. Mariah is stoked to be serving her second term with AmeriCorps Project Conserve in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. She is most excited to spend time in a gorgeous place teaching local kids about the unbelievably cool place they call home.