Audubon Spotlight: Karina Ornelas Builds on her Time as Campus Chapter Leader

Working in wildlife conservation requires passion and humility. Karina Ornelas gained these qualities as a student leader at San Diego City College, where she studied biology and served as president of the Bird Life campus chapter. She shared that her experience of being a student leader to now fully working in bird conservation expanded her horizons. “It has been amazing how this group allowed me to find a job that I truly enjoy,” she says. “It is my happy place.” 

Ornelas grew up in Mexico and has wanted to work with animals ever since having various kinds when she was a child. She became involved with wildlife conservation at San Diego City College, which is designated a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) and was one of the first Audubon On Campus chapters founded in 2018. Ornelas recounted her time on this campus as rewarding and amazing. “We worked on different projects and were like a little family,” she says.

Ornelas currently works as the Conservation Outreach Coordinator for the San Diego Audubon Society. Her daily duties include helping with translation from English to Spanish in certain materials, acquiring outreach materials, and assisting management with different grants. She is also leading research on the endangered light-footed Ridgway’s Rail by monitoring the wildlife cameras at Kendall-Frost Marsh. Being involved in this work has allowed Ornelas to support San Diego Audubon’s programming efforts to bring awareness for the Mission Bay's wetlands expansion for endangered birds and other species.

Being a woman of color in conservation has often caused Ornelas to feel uneasy as the only one in a room full of non-minorities. "I worry that others will find my English funny,” she says. “There are times when I'm uncomfortable in an environment of people who can't relate to me.” Nevertheless, she uses it to motivate others to demonstrate that women of color can work in conservation. "Holding this position gives me a sense of strength because I can be an example for others that conservation is for everyone," she says. A quote that keeps her encouraged is “Don’t be afraid to believe in yourself.”

Her advice to individuals interested in working in conservation is to always try to find your passion, and one way to do this is to volunteer because you will learn a lot and that can spark a new passion. “Volunteering provides you with experience to determine if that is something you would like to pursue in the future,” she says. “For instance, my time volunteering in San Diego Zoo doing animal behavior observations sparked my curiosity to work with animals, and now I am documenting the behavior of the Ridgway’s Rail.”

Ornelas feels that birds play a role in connecting individuals around the world. “We are all connected, so working on conservation and working toward conserving endangered species is a very rewarding career,” she says. “Also, it makes us work with partners even across the border; conservation has no borders in protecting our endangered species and wildlife.” 

Visit Audubon On Campus  for more information about the program.