About Casandra Cortez
Casandra Cortez was born and raised in the Bay Area in Fremont, CA. She graduated from UC Santa Cruz where she earned a degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology with a focus in marine ecosystems and conservation. Upon graduating, Casandra moved to Los Angeles and worked with a waste hauler to educate Los Angeles residents on recycling and Zero Waste. Her background in ecology and community outreach contributed to her work on the Ballona Creek Revitalization Project.
About Sunny Zhao
Yun “Sunny” Zhao is a graduate from Grinnell College, IA, with a B.A. in Anthropology. She has experiences in community-based research, volunteer leadership, and natural history museums. As a CivicSpark Fellow, she contributed to the Ballona Creek Revitalization Project in Culver City, CA by building capacity and resilience at the intersection of environment and society.
Former CivicSpark fellows Casandra Cortez and Sunny Zhao.
About Morgan Kaplan
Originally from Chicago, Illinois, Morgan Kaplan graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana – Champaign where she earned a degree in Natural Resources and Environmental Science with an emphasis in resource conservation and restoration ecology. During her undergraduate career, Morgan had a diverse set of internships which included working for the Illinois State Geologic Survey, Chicago Botanic Gardens, and creating a campus-wide program that decreases the energy used for lighting university buildings. Her knowledge of restoration ecology helped her work on the Ballona Creek Revitalization Project.
About Priya Macwan
Priya Macwan was born and raised in Los Angeles and transferred to UCLA after two years at Santa Monica College. Her passion for environmental justice issues led her to major in Geography/ Environmental Studies and to pursue a Master's Degree in Urban and Regional Planning at UC Irvine. Her hope was to be able to use her educational background to help create a more environmentally and socially just urban region. She became a CivicSpark fellow so she could continue along this trajectory and gain experience on how to work towards a Southern California region that is sustainable and that continues to thrive in this changing climate.
Former CivicSpark fellows Morgan Kaplan and Priya Macwan in front of “La Ballona” by May Sun in Heritage Park. This artwork celebrates the importance of Ballona Creek to the original Culver City area inhabitants, the Tongva (or Gabrielinos).