Prior to starting the program, I was an RN for 25 years, was ready for a change and dreamed of working for the National Park Service. My thesis topic became my passion; entitled “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the National Park Service: Narratives, Counter-narratives and the Importance of Moving Beyond Demographics.” After volunteering at Mount Rainier NP for a couple of summers, in 2016 I landed a seasonal park ranger position, which I continued most summers through 2024.

Following graduation, I continued presenting variations on the theme of my research at national conferences and smaller venues, including for the NPS. I helped found Mount Rainier’s Relevancy, Inclusivity, Diversity and Equity group, also doing DEI work with local orgs.

Presenting at conferences brought the good fortune of connections with academics and I was asked to write chapters for a couple of books. The first was Society, Space and Social Justice: Geographies of Intersectionality (my chapter was Environmental Justice and Outdoor Spaces: Structural Racism’s Persistence, and the Dynamics of Change). The second was The Changing Geography of National Parks and Protected Areas (my chapter was Equity and Inclusion in the National Park Service: Historical Challenges, New Possibilities).

I retired this year and continue DEI work on the Equity and Justice committee of WA’s Sierra Club chapter and am finding multiple venues for activism in our current political crisis.

In my spare time, I e-bike religiously, love hiking, snow-shoeing, camping and traveling, meditation, reading, and being in community.

Connect with me at: yonityogev@gmail.com