Parks and recreation work became a clear career choice for me when I began conceptualizing where I could make the greatest impact in my career. With my Bachelors of Environmental Science, I became increasingly devoted to sustainable recreation management, and justice, equity, and inclusion in the outdoors. Some of my most formative moments have been spent in parks and protected areas, and it’s both a passion and a goal of mine to help foster those same experiences for marginalized groups in the outdoors. I think parks and protected areas host a unique opportunity to not only connect individuals with the outdoors, but to serve as vestiges of wild spaces that act to conserve our natural resources. I am particularly interested in climate resiliency in parks and protected areas. As climate change continues to impact recreation access and quality, I believe it’s critical for managers to consider the resiliency of protected areas in responding and adapting to climate change. Parks protect ecosystem services and are recognized as critical tools in climate change adaptation, as well as in conservation, such as the 30 by 30 initiative. Protected areas can increase resiliency in the face of extreme weather and climatic events, and these benefits can be enhanced through collaborative management of networks of parks and protected areas, rather than isolated, unit-level management in a changing climate. My hope is that my work can help engage new visitors with proper education and preparedness on personal impacts, ensure sustainable access to recreation resources, and contribute to innovative and adaptive management strategies to increase climate resiliency in parks and protected areas.