Alan Ramirez started interning with the River Park Foundation in 2008 when, as a high school senior, he dropped by and said he wanted to help out. As perhaps you well know, if a volunteer asks to help, we put them to work! One of his first experiences was getting the chance to participate in the River Park Foundation’s first estuary kayak clean-up. As Alan didn’t have much experience with boats, he went out to conquer the trash with a more experienced volunteer who taught him the fine art of how to paddle and ride in a kayak while picking up all sorts of trash from the river, all while not tipping the boat over! When he went into school that following Monday, his teachers called him out as “Mr. GQ” because he made it on the Union Tribune “Our Region” section front page for Love Your Wetlands Day! After that we think he was hooked! Our office, and particularly Shannon Quigley-Raymond, has really enjoyed working with him ever since. While we’ve helped him develop his leadership and communication skills, he’s helped us with everything from cleaning up the river, to conducting river surveys, to data entry and even organizing our much-used (and thus fairly cluttered) storage shed! Even though Alan is busy studying Environmental Engineering up north at Humboldt State University, he still comes back down every summer to share his knowledge and experience with other young people. Now as a mentor, Alan’s worked closely with student volunteers. This summer he’s been leading service projects on the River Trail adjacent to Pacific Highway to remove graffiti from the “On the River Trail” mural in addition to cleaning trash and weeds with high school student Jesus. Jesus, who always knew San Diego had a river, really enjoys working along the trail as it has opened his eyes up to all the wildlife along it. Because of all his experiences with the River Park Foundation, Alan is able to provide new interns and volunteers a meaningful experience complete with lots of anecdotes and stories which he’s gained over the past 3 years. Alan had this to say about his experience, “I like interning for the San Diego River Park Foundation because I meet other students like myself and work with people in the community. There are always new activities to work on and the staff is great.” Thanks, Alan, for all your fantastic efforts to help make our community and our river a healthier and happier place!