Greetings! My name is Katie Kelly, and I am the new Marketing & Graphic Design Intern at the Oregon Wild Portland office. I’m going into my fourth and final year at Lewis & Clark College this fall, graduating with B.A. in Environmental Studies. My concentration is titled “Climate Justice and Media in Periphery Nations.”
Originally from San Francisco, I’m a city girl through and through. Growing up is a mixture of memories, including pushing myself into crowded buses, eating good food, and running Bay2Breakers in a funny costume. My relationship with the natural world started with surfing in Pacific Beach, but I was very content with the built world surrounding me. It’s unclear when I first started tuning into climate news and learning about climate change, all I knew was I was scared (and very interested). From that point onwards, I started to value and connect to natural areas around me, like wilderness areas and national parks.
I started working with Naturebridge in Golden Gate National Recreation Area when I was in high school, and in college, I lived in both the Environmental Action and Outdoor Pursuits Living Learning Communities. On top of this, I have been the On-Campus Sustainability Intern for the Office of Sustainability and an event organizer for the Environmental Studies Symposium. During this time, I became very interested in both justice and activism. I landed a Project Leader position with the Office of Student Leadership and Service, which I have been extremely active in these past two years. In most of these organizations, I found my strengths lies in outreach.
I connect my two identities, climate-nerd and material-girl, through communication and media. I’m very concerned with accessibility, and a lot of spaces considered natural, are simply not accessible for many. And while that real connection with wilderness might not be available, the real fear of climate change is ever-looming. Because of this, I am very interested in the spread and mediums of information.
I am so excited to work as the Marketing & Graphic Design Intern. I have a background in journalism and graphic design, which I am excited to explore and enhance. In my work, I will be focusing largely on the organization of the Call of the Wild event. I will also be supporting the Oregon Brewshed® Alliance and other outreach.
This summer, I am excited to learn more about Oregon’s wilderness and wildlife. I’m also excited to explore different places in Oregon outside of the Columbia River Gorge and expose myself to different types of activism. I am ready to make connections, have great conversations, and learn about the state that is home to places like Crater Lake and Cannon Beach. I am so grateful for the opportunity to work with Oregon Wild!
