09/15/2026
Meet Clara, a SJCC+CS alum who worked in Zero Waste. 💛
Read her success story below to learn about her Corps journey and how it led to her current position as a community engagement intern at Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST). 👇
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Clara started her Corps journey in December 2025 and proceeded to work in Zero Waste for six months. Even in such a short timeframe, she was able to achieve her goal to gain experience in conservation. She shares that she “got a lot of certifications out of it and a good community.” Clara lists the wildland firefighter and forklift certifications as being a particular highlight. “It was a great opportunity that was offered to me that I'd always wanted to do.” Clara’s favorite part of working in Zero Waste was the people she worked with, including her supervisor, Lourdes, and being able to see the “immediate tangible effects” of her work. Clara states, “It was fun being involved in the process. I really enjoyed it.”
Today, Clara works as a community engagement intern at Peninsula Open Space Trust. Clara gained many skills in Zero Waste that have carried over to her current position, including community outreach and an understanding of waste management. “I just know about the operations of conservation in the Bay Area. I know more of the partners. I’m better at engaging with the community in the Bay.”
Clara finds that she is able to apply what she learned in Zero Waste to her work at Peninsula Open Space Trust. She states, “the land trust is about conserving or buying land and saving it for the purpose of conservation. They also collaborated with the Corps on one land project, which I thought was really cool.” Clara adds, “I would say what I'm doing now is similar to what I would do at the Corps when I was doing any of the door-to-door canvassing. I'm engaging with community members and telling them about the [environmental] impact.”
