Hey! My name is Juan Pineda and I’m a Difference Maker Mentor for the 2026-2027 NRCA CAP Program. I’m a rising junior double majoring in Economics and Environmental Science with a concentration in Sustainable Systems. Since I was younger, I’ve cared about preserving outdoor spaces coming from a beach town along the Connecticut […]
Conservation Ambassador Program
Introducing Difference Maker Mentor: Violet Andrews
Hi! My name’s Violet and I’m serving as a Difference Maker Mentor for the 2026-2027 NRCA CAP program. In the spring I graduated with dual degrees in Geology and Secondary Earth Science Education. In the fall I will continue my education at UConn, getting my Masters in Curriculum and Instruction. I love the outdoors, when […]
Apply to Be an NRCA Difference Maker Mentor (DMM)!
The Natural Resources Conservation Academy (NRCA) is now accepting applications for Difference Maker Mentors (DMMs)—UConn undergraduates who serve as leaders for the Conservation Ambassador Program (CAP) and as near-peer mentors to high school teens as they complete a community environmental action project. We are seeking students from all majors and backgrounds who are passionate […]
Introducing Difference Maker Mentor: Megan Ng
Hey everyone! My name is Megan Ng and I’m so excited to be a Difference Maker Mentor for the NRCA Conservation Ambassadors Program cohort of 2025-2026. I’m a sophomore majoring in Natural Resources with minors in Psychology and Urban and Community Studies. I have a great love for learning and I’ve been interested in […]
Introducing Difference Maker Mentor: Haley Jordan
Hi! My name is Haley Jordan (she/her) and I’m a Difference Maker Mentor for the 2025-2026 CAP Program! I’m going into my junior year as a natural resources major concentrating in fisheries and wildlife, with a minor in ecology and evolutionary biology! In high school, […]
Introducing Difference Maker Mentor: Rachel Palmer
Hello! My name is Rachel Palmer, and I’m super excited to be working as a Difference Maker Mentor for the 2025-2026 NRCA Conservation Ambassador Program (CAP). I was born and raised in central Maine. I am entering my junior year this fall, majoring in Natural Resources with a minor in Environmental Health and Safety. […]
Introducing Graduate Mentor: Shanelle Thevarajah
Hi everyone! My name is Shanelle Thevarajah and I am a second year Ph.D. student at the University of Connecticut, and the Graduate Mentor for the NRCA Conservation Ambassador Program. I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts and Science from the University of Guelph in 2019 with a focus on Zoology and Family/Child […]
Introducing Difference Maker Mentor: Tamara Parks
Hey y’all! My name is Tamara Parks, and I am currently serving as a Difference Maker Mentor for the 2024-2025 NRCA Conservation Ambassador Program. I am a first-generation undergraduate student from New Haven, CT, completing my second year at UConn and exploring my course of study through the ACES program (so, I […]
Meet our Graduate Mentor Ankit K Singh!
Hey there! My name is Ankit K Singh (he/him/his), and I am a doctoral candidate in the Department of Natural Resources at the University of Connecticut. I have worked with the Natural Resources Conservation Academy (NRCA) for almost two years, working as a Graduate Mentor in the CAP and CTP programs. I am most passionate about teaching […]
What is a “Better” Scientific Poster?
It’s mid-December and we’re already thinking ahead to March conference season. We try to help our NRCA participants that choose to present their conservation projects to be as prepared as possible. CAP students traditionally create posters that are presented during a special session of the Connecticut Conference on Natural Resources. CTP folks can present their […]