When I first walked through the gates of the Environmental Nature Center I was greeted with a breeze of fresh ocean air, the sound of birds chirping, and the laughter of children exploring the Nature Center and making memories. I was immediately taken back to my youth, hiking through the Sierra Nevada mountains with my father and getting my first taste of the world outside of the busy city. But the Environmental Nature Center is different, nestled in the heart of Newport Beach next to Newport Harbor High School it serves as an oasis for the young and old alike. It is an escape from the hustle and bustle of the hectic world outside. The trees, ponds, and streams are great places for children to experience nature in a safe environment without having to travel far from home.
As I enter my final semester of college at Cal State Long Beach, I found that I wished to instill the same love of nature in these children that my father gave me all those years ago. To educate those younger than me of the importance of a sustainable lifestyle to allow Nature and locations like this to exist long after I am gone. Lao Tzu once said “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” I believe that by choosing to intern at the Environmental Nature Center, I am taking that first step. – Jake Barabas
Jake is our new Communications Intern. He will be assisting with social media and email marketing, writing press releases, authoring weekly blog articles, and especially with video production, Jake’s speciality. Jake has 7 years of experience in Journalism and Reporting, including two years reporting under Academy Award nominee David Massey. He was also the winner of the 2012 KLCS Video In Classroom award for Math in Motion.
Last semester Jake worked at 22 West as a Journalism intern. Some of his day to day activities included recording and writing public service announcements about non profit organizations for students to get involved in. He also reported on various breaking news topics at Long Beach State like the lockdown on October 7th, 2019.
Jake was also a Breaking news Intern for Signal Multimedia in 2016. As a member of the Breaking News team, Jake would go out in a news truck to capture breaking news around the Santa Clarita Valley. He would write, shoot, edit, and report on all of his own stories.
We’re so excited to have Jake on board! Stay tuned to see some of his videos, posted on our YouTube channel.