Rebecca is an environmental educator and researcher who has always believed that science should be for everyone—not just those who can afford expensive programs or internships. That belief has carried her from a small town in New Jersey to classrooms in Chile, coral reefs in the Florida Keys, and conservation projects in the Galápagos Islands.

She earned dual Bachelors degrees in Marine Science & Biology and Spanish at the University of Miami, where she researched climate impacts on fish genetics, translated science for local farmers and schoolchildren in the Galápagos, and
developed hands-on environmental curricula with the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary as a NOAA Hollings Scholar. After college, she spent two years in Camden, New Jersey as an environmental educator, where she helped design a paid internship program for local high school students—ensuring that the next generation of conservation leaders didn’t face the same access barriers she had.

In 2022, Rebecca joined Climate Advocates Voces Unidas (CAVU), where she has worn many hats—East Coast Education Liaison, Education Director, and now Director of Programs Operations—helping expand the Climate Innovation Challenge across the country, overseeing program logistics, co-managing a team of educational coordinators, leading the Youth Advisory Board, and supporting classrooms.

Alongside this work, she is pursuing her PhD in Environmental Science Education at UC Davis, where her research focuses on how youth develop science identity and agency through community and citizen science programs, from salmon
conservation in California rivers to dam removal monitoring in the Pacific Northwest.

Whether she’s building partnerships between scientists and students, translating research into community action, or co-designing curricula that reflect cultural and linguistic diversity, Rebecca’s passion lies in making science meaningful,
equitable, and accessible. Outside of work, you’ll find her underwater with a scuba tank, hiking with a camera in hand, or cooking for friends and family.