Nice to meet you!

Hello there, I am Carlos E. Orellana and I am a part of Cohort 7 of the ProRanger program. Currently, I am a Senior at Temple University majoring in Criminal Justice. Born in New Jersey but raised in Pennsylvania, I am a first-generation college student as both of my parents are from El Salvador. I spent most of my life living in the Christmas City of Bethlehem, PA. I had never really lived in an urban environment, so going to college in Philadelphia was my opportunity to broaden my world experience. Throughout the coming summer, I will be posting about my adventures at one of the many great National Parks that make up these United States. 

Checking out the cannons at Harpers Ferry National Battlefield Park 

When I first came to Temple Univerity in 2017, I found that the career pathways available to me were vast. I first encountered the ProRanger Program when Ranger Fernandez came to my professional development class and informed me of the kinds of opportunities this program had to offer. I still remember going to the panel interview and seeing all the Rangers with their equipment and uniforms, all of whom came from various parks across the country, while the room filled with over 40 candidates who were also interested in joining the program. After doing a mock Physical Efficiency Battery (PEB) I was nervous but glad that I had applied to the program. Before this, I had never really known about the National Park Service or even gone to a national park. It had turned out that I had been to few and never even knew it. Once I did, I fell in love with the opportunity to receive training to work in a career that allows me to not only be hands-on but also give back to some of our nation’s most valuable resources.

 

The Cohort and I receiving traffic stop tips from Ranger Greene 

During my summer internship, I hope to learn to be a better communicator both by gaining insight from other rangers and by engaging with the public. I just want to be able to receive any wisdom to help operations at the park run smoothly. I look forward to the privilege of working alongside other rangers and learning how they adapt against any and all obstacles. I am super excited about what is to come!

 

Until then,

ProRanger Carlos