My name is Vanessa and I live in the Cuyama Valley, in New Cuyama. I was born and raised in San Diego, so you can imagine what a big change this must’ve been, from living in a big city to now living in a small town surrounded by mountains. I moved into Cuyama out of pure coincidence. I am a true believer that you will be guided to where you are meant to be. And this completely seems like one of those cases, my passion is being able to work with people of all ages and spending as much of my time outdoors. I really enjoy talking and getting to know people of all backgrounds. I like being able to help others in any way possible whether that is with my knowledge or helping guide them to someone that can help them. I love spending time outdoors and I absolutely love animals. I currently own chickens, ducks, cats, dogs and koi fish. My love for animals and the outdoors have guided me towards starting my own garden, learning about medicinal plants and composting.

Prior to moving into the valley I was working as a nurse assistant with people from 18-94 yrs old. It was always interesting to make connections and hearing people’s stories and seeing how similar we can all be. I began to develop a passion for advocating and talking to people when I was in high school, I took a job on a youth advisory board group. We created and implemented surveys throughout our community in order to see how we could help our youth in whatever they needed more resources to. We planned events and hosted them, went out speaking to the public giving out surveys, it was truly a significant turning point in my career. I don’t have much professional ecological experience, but I am always willing to learn more. I am a friendly person and I really enjoy talking to others and getting to know them. My hobbies include gardening, taking care of my animals and cuddling them, painting, sewing, making jewelry, making herbal medicine, crocheting and dragging my husband with me to everything.