Hey there! I’m Morgan (she/they)!
High School Student • Bird Bander • Naturalist • Social Activist
About Me
I am a high school student who has always had a passion for nature and biology. These days, I’ve been focusing on the local species of Los Angeles, California where I currently reside. I am also an active contributor to community science platforms and a bird bander at multiple research stations.
I am a social activist whose current projects include advocating for student representation in the Pasadena Unified School District through my work with the PUSD Student Think Tank. I am also the president of my school’s Sexuality and Gender Alliance.
I am a certified California naturalist, a certification earned through the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources in which participants must complete 40+ hours of coursework through a partner organization. I earned my certification through Nature For All’s Leadership Academy, which incorporated lectures on Gabrielino Tongva history, culture, and experiences, environmental justice, nature access, storytelling, and community organizing with botany and geology field trips to natural locations in the Los Angeles area.
Community Science Profiles
- eBird: https://ebird.org/profile/MTg2NzI2OA
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/people/1815497
Groups I have been or am currently involved with
- PUSD Student Think Tank (2022-present)
- Zuma Canyon bird banding (2021-present)
- Burns Piñon Ridge Reserve bird banding (2022-present)
- Bear Divide bird banding (2023-present)
- Website coming soon!
@beardividebanding on Instagram
- Website coming soon!
- 28% Women in STEM Newsletter (2020-present)
- Feminist Bird Club (2022-present)
- Los Angles Birders-Students (2021-present)
- Pasadena Audubon Society (2019-present)
- Inspiring Girls* Expeditions- Girls* On Water (2023)
- Nature For All Leadership Academy (2023)
- Pasadena Education Foundation (2021-2022)
- Southern California Paleontological Society (2020-2021)
- Los Angles County Science and Engineering Fair (2019-2020)
- Engaging Girls in STEM (2018, 2019)
- Science Olympiad (2016-2020)
An Original Poem…
Nature in My Eyes
Nature is complicated to describe,
but I will tell it to you through my eyes.
A California towhee scratching at the ground,
until a tasty grub is found.
A mourning dove and its wobbly fly,
through the early evening sky.
A northern mockingbird singing its varied song,
a nearby watcher humming along.
An acorn woodpecker and a drumming beat,
looking for something to eat.
A red-tailed hawk afloat the air,
the minute songbirds flittering with care.
A fiery skipper laying its eggs on grass,
a mountain that shifts but will forever last.
An organized colony of ants or bees,
the warm, caring motion of the breeze.
A tree that is attaining energy with green,
a clear and crisp running stream.
A western fence lizard basking in the sun,
a caterpillar whose life has only begun.
The colors of a male house finch,
the size of a weevil that will make it in a pinch.
A weary earthworm recycling soil,
the parents of a chick who live a life of toil.
A fungus waiting to disperse its spores,
a turkey vulture that loves to soar.
A lofty pine tree that is a total giant,
the microbes in soil that serve many clients.
A bashful snake that seeks the shade,
a migrating butterfly that has its plans made.
The climate, the environment, the nature of Earth,
every organism's hearth and home.
Will certainly impress you if you look deep,
but we certainly cannot live here alone.
Morgan G.
2020