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Meet Sara
Meet Sara
I am a geoscientist, paleontologist, geographer, science educator, explorer, photographer, and lifelong tech enthusiast.
My path into the geosciences began after a long career in graphic design and marketing. I returned to school intending to pursue a business management degree, but an introductory geology course changed everything. Within weeks, I shifted my focus to geology and committed to finally pursuing my longstanding curiosity about the natural world.
I was an environmental consulting subcontractor with Stantec for a fiber optics project in Northern California.
As a non-traditional student, I balanced a full-time design career with evening chemistry, physics, and math courses to complete the prerequisites for a geology degree. In the final year of my A.S. in Geology at Santiago Canyon College, I immersed myself in physics and calculus while waiting to transfer. Missing geology, I enrolled in UCLA’s Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Technology certificate program. My love of maps—combined with my background in visual design—made GIS an immediate and intuitive fit.
I went on to complete my B.S. in Geology at California State University, Long Beach. During my undergraduate years, my paleontology professor selected me to work for the department, and immediately after completing field camp, I began graduate school under the advisement of world-renowned paleontologist Dr. Donald Prothero.
I have taught geology laboratory courses to non-science majors for two and a half years. Coming from a non-science background myself, I connected deeply with students who were new to the subject. My emphasis on visual communication and clear, intuitive explanations strengthened my teaching and allowed my students to engage meaningfully with geoscience concepts.
I am currently completing my thesis and preparing for my defense to finish my Master of Science in Geology.
Taking a lunch break to enjoy the view on my hike down San Jacinto mountain.
Sign at the top of Mt. Baldy on a hike
One of my most prideful moments is receiving my associate degree at the Santiago Canyon College graduation ceremony.
Me during research in the Los Angeles Natural History Museum vertebrate collection.
I macro-photographed images of polished minerals, rocks, and microfossils for high-resolution images for CSULB.
During the summer, I was a jurisdictional water delineation surveyor on an LA DWP project for powerline expansion in the California and Nevada Mojave Desert.
Cat tax!
Cat tax!
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