The Way to College Podcast - Ep 179 - Sara Lopez

Hi, this is Dr. Ossos Alonso. This is Dr. Ossos Alonso with another episode of Way to College podcast. I can't stress this enough how much I enjoy the podcast and how much I enjoy connecting with folks and expanding my network. I'm really excited about today's episode. I'm excited about every episode because every guest brings a unique story. But today's, I'm especially excited because I really don't know much about this person, about my guest today. So I'm going to provide a little context. My wife is a high school teacher and she took her students to several presentations by my guest today. And she said, oh, I got the perfect, she comes home one day and says, I've got the perfect podcast guest. And she said, okay, tell me about it. She tells me a little bit about it. And I'm like, that's really, that's really cool. I want to know the story. So obviously send an email connected. And so we're here today. And so what I'm going to do is I'm going to allow her to introduce herself to our listeners out there. So, Sarah, would you mind introducing yourself to our listeners? Of course. And I also just want to say thank you so much for having me. I'm happy to share a bit more about my story. So my name is Sarah Lopez. I am an RGB native. I was born in Houston, but grew up in Harlingen, graduated from Harlingen High School. And then I went to the University of Texas at Austin. So I spent about five years in Austin. And after that, I moved to New York because I had gone into the advertising field and I did not find that line of work fulfilling at all. So I really enjoyed all of the skill sets that I learned and I was a part of a portfolio program. So I learned a lot about design and aesthetics, but I always knew that I wanted to use it for something different than like commercial work. And so I was working with how to on accounts like with Old Navy, the Jane Goodall Institute was actually one of them and kind of like a North Star in many ways for me because I always enjoyed the work that came out of that particular client. But then I basically set off on a journey to figure out what my purpose was. And I was very privileged to be in a position where I could do that. And eventually, I started to pursue more of photography, leaning into documentary photography. And I had a couple of things under my belt, in terms of like a, we can call it a showcasing that I, some of my work was a part of in Edinburgh, over in the UK. And just a few other little things that I don't need to get into. But all of that kind of led me back to this journey of, in a way, heading to my roots. I spent a lot of time traveling the world, and eventually it led me to Mexico. So my ancestry is 100% Mexican. I'm third generation Mexican American. And I had for a while been running away from that part of my identity. And I think in this journey, it's so a part of coming back to myself and like healing that that part of who I was and where my family came from. I, I found myself in Mexico for about 10 months. And I was visiting a lot of the regions where my family came from, reacquainting myself with the language, and which I wasn't raised with by the way. And I eventually found myself in the La Candona jungle. And that's really where I would say a lot of this journey began for me. When it comes to rainforest conservation, cultural preservation. And that was when I first got there in 2019. And since then, it has just been a constant connection I've had with this part of me during this time, made it to different parts of Latin America, Brazil, Cuba, Peru. But honestly, Mexico was the most impactful, just because of my lineage coming from there. That first initial visit in 2019, pretty much this journey of almost combining all the skill sets and creative abilities that were my tool built, and putting them into creating a publication, which was the first version of the jungle journal with which is the name of the project I have right now. And in this first version of the project in this first iteration of the project, it was more of a photo journalistic endeavor, really inspired by this rainforest, the La Candona jungle. And the other countries that I just named were also a part of that first publication. And there were two other volumes after that were published, featuring East Africa and Southeast Asia. But once the idea came about to transform the project from a publication and more into a organization, I knew I needed to come back to what started at all, which was the La Candona jungle. And that connection from 2019 to today has never been suffered. That has been the one constant connection I've maintained with any of the communities that I've worked with or interviewed over the course of the timeline of this project. And so this past year, I have jumped more into the conservation space. It started with a an excursion that I led in January, earlier this year, the last week of January, leading into the first week of February, where there was a group of eight of us that went down into the La Candona jungle. Mainly it was a, it was a initiative of awareness for this place. It is one of the closest rainforests to us here in the United States, especially in Texas. And that was a first, I would say big accomplishment when it came to raising awareness for this part of Mexico and this really important rainforest for us here in North America. And then it sort of continued into this paneled event that I held in Mexico City in May, where we had a full circle moment. And essentially one of the first bookstores that picked up the publication when it was in its first version, first iteration of being a publication. It's called Casa Bosques there in Mexico City. They welcomed us to host this conservation panel on the La Candona jungle. And that was an awesome further step into this, this journey of conservation work, as it pertains specifically to the La Candona jungle. This panel event was amazing because we had, you know, an ornithologist present who has dedicated his studies to birds, in particular in the La Candona jungle. A sociologist who works a lot with reviving my own culture and language with these Maya descendant communities, and also a cacao researcher. And then of course I was there to share my experience of the last six years being connected to a family in the jungle, the La Candona Maya. They're a part of this indigenous group that exists there in Southern Chiapas. And it was really just a beautiful opportunity to spread awareness. Not a whole lot of people knew what this jungle was. Before I started the panel, I had asked the audience, can I see a raise of hands of how many people know what this jungle is? Maybe one or two people raise their hands in an audience of like 75, 80 people. So it just made me realize, okay, this work is very much needed. The awareness and thought leadership around rainforest conservation is needed. And it just sort of continued into what I am currently now doing as a part of the organization and the project in this version two of the jungle journal is going into institutional spaces, mainly in education, where I'm teaching K through 12 kids about the importance of rainforests. And in particular, with this first, you could say trial that I'm currently doing along the Rio Grande Valley and the border between Texas and Mexico is educating the kids on the ecological significance of this region and how it serves as a biodiversity bridge to these rainforest networks throughout Latin America, the La Candona jungle being one of them. Other jungles connect to the river and valley via migratory species such as birds and butterflies and dragonflies. And the Darien gap rainforest is another one and found them the Amazon rainforest. And it's been really, really cool presenting, making these presentations and presenting this information to the kids, because you can see, for the ones that it clicks with. They have a new sense of pride in where they come from. And that has been a very, very beautiful thing to witness on my side of things, you know, having had this privilege with this life of being able to find my purpose and myself and knowing at this point this is to me the most important thing to do right now with all of this, this work that I've been and invested in to this project, coming back home literally in delivering this message to the kids. It has been really, really an important part of my journey so far. So that in a nutshell was a lot but it's essentially my journey into where I am now what I created how I ended up creating it and. Why I met your wife at Westlake Ohio High School. So, one, thank you. Thank you for walking us through that right. And I think there's, you've given us a lot to unpack. Because I think there are certainly a lot of themes that I heard emerge purpose being one of them. But you also talked about, you know, you alluded to you mentioned it, I think once but you alluded to sort of this privilege, the privilege of being a being able to find the position that you're in and and and to explore a little bit. But I'm going to take us a step back. I'd like us to go back and I'd like, because you did say, write this journey. And I think you to 2019 was a was an important year for this journey for your journey. But if we have to go back, because clearly, you know, you go to UT. So education was important, right, because I think for a lot of young people, particularly like the audiences that you're seeing or that you're speaking to. Not all of them see college as sort of a next step for them. It sounds like it was part of your plan or at least maybe your parents plan or something. So what I'd like you to do is I'd like you to, you know, I, and I sent you the question I shared the question with you, right. If you had to identify the beginning of your educational journey. And maybe it is more recent. But if it isn't, what would be that starting point for you. So I have two answers for this question. One, no, no, no, you can only you can only choose what I'm just kidding. Go ahead. I'm like, well, okay, probably the latter but if I'm able to share both one. When I think about this question, my educational journey really started since I arrived on this planet. It's a very broad answer. But I mean I've always been just very observant and I think ever since I was a child just taking in and witnessing the world around me. And that continued as I grew older. But on a more specific note, I would say it was my first study abroad experience with UT, where I went to Morocco. You know, I'll try and summarize this as much as I can but there was a lot that unfolded for me in that trip. And that experience, because I lived with the Moroccan family. I just even getting there I had to work for that. My family was quite against me studying in a place like North Africa because of the anti Islamic sediment that had existed post 911. And it took a lot of hard convincing to allow me to get on a plane to go over there. And I had never been to an Arabic speaking country had never been to a Muslim country before. But that experience really, it shattered a lot of things for me in a positive way. It brought me out of my comfort zone and this is when I fell in love with humanity and cultures from around the world. And eventually would make me fall in love with the culture I came from but this was kind of the starting point. And this journey of the appreciation of culture for me. So I would say, you know, my my first time to Morocco, Rabat is the capital where I was living. It was in 2014. And yeah, that's that's where I would say was the defining point for me. That's where it all started. It sounds like a powerful moment. Let me ask you, right? Yeah, because because I I made a couple of assumptions right that college was always part of the plan was it always part of the plan for you as a child when you were growing up. Absolutely. You know, my parents were both educated. They were the first in their families to hold college degrees. They were second generation Mexican American. But you know, my father was a heart surgeon. It was expected of me to continue the path he had paved for the family to be able to especially with something like education experience, you know, another level of comfort that he didn't get to experience when he was a kid. He worked so hard for what he achieved and that was definitely expected of my brother and I was to go to college and get an education network, you know, all of that and my mom as well. She majored in English from utergv. And then I was a local back then it was pan am and you know, always very educated and that was no no question college was was set in my path. You go to UT and you told us that you went, you know, after college you went to New York worked in advertising so at UT you did marketing. Advertising. Advertising. Okay. Yes. What was it that drew you to advertising because here you have this, you know, you, you, you, this is you go and you work in advertising but you've already done a study abroad you've already been to Morocco, correct. Yes. Okay. What is it that led you to advertising. So advertising, I think, I knew I wanted to be involved in some communications field. There was some inner knowing that this is going to be important on my path, and especially in the world and times that we're living in now. I think I don't need to really explain why that is. We're so connected on social media on our phones. Information and media is everything in this society. And I think that's how we shape reality. And I think there's a lot of responsibility for those that put out the information to make sure what they're putting out is beneficial to society and the betterment of society and I, I guess back then I knew that I would play a role in that. And it was very just, you know, I was leading with my heart, even though advertising is doesn't seem like a heart oriented field. Like, you know, maybe medicine would be or, or, you know, social work, but I knew I would use it for something different as I had mentioned earlier so I think that's the best way to answer that question for me. Okay, okay. You, you know, you go to Morocco, but let me ask you was, had you already done a lot of traveling? I had not. Okay, I had not. At that point, I had gone on some family trips, you know, I had mentioned, I came from a family of privilege and my dad was a surgeon and, you know, we were able to do those types of things but we never really, we really went to places like, you know, Morocco or we had never touched Africa we had never touched the Middle East we had never touched Asia, even Australia. I would say that, you know, experience for me was the first time of like, broadening my horizons and being exposed to something very different and more importantly being thrown out of my comfort zone. Yeah, I mean, it sounds like, like the traveling that you did do was was with your family and so maybe around vacations and obviously going on a study abroad trip living with a family in Morocco I imagine is nothing like traveling with your family on vacation. Right. Absolutely not. You know, getting, getting out of your comfort zone. Yes, it was a cultural education of sorts, in all the ways from, you know, the moment I woke up to the moment I went to sleep. There were so many beautiful highlights from that, that experience and you know I had never been in a country where, you know, the predominant religion was Islam and being there as well during Ramadan was, was a beautiful experience. I just jumped straight into it because I think after two or three weeks from when my program started Ramadan began and you know I got to experience that with my host family and yeah my, my love for the world really started to expand. And you know, something I can't really logically explain there's a connection to this land that I had, which is what pulled me. My minor was more in the humanities, I always took language classes in the communicate with the communications major UT you didn't need to take that many language courses but you needed to definitely have at least two semesters. I ended up taking French I took Arabic. I, I took also other liberal arts courses related to cultures and ethnic studies because that was always a part of my interests. It was hard to define back then. And so, really, things have taken shape more in the last six years, in terms of the alignment of where all these interests have been have been pushing me towards. So, yeah, that that Morocco experience was very, very pivotal and important for this journey that I would lead on, or continue on in bringing me back to myself that's kind of where I like to end it. Because that was, you know, it sparked my curiosity for travel and experiencing other traditions and and culture and, and all of that, but it also eventually led me back to myself in many ways so. Yeah, that experience was very, very, very special, but that's where I would say my education. Going back to your question, that's where it started. The Sarah you you go to New York, you do advertising. How long did you do that. Oh my gosh, I really did not last longer than half a year, because it was so soul sucking for me. I could not, I could not stay. I could not stay long doing that repeated pattern. Yeah, I, one of the, I will say, encounters I had that pushed me out of the city was, I had just let the small agency a small advertising shop that I let I let them know. I would no longer be continuing my work there. And I was heading back on the train. And this was in Soho in Manhattan and I had gone down into the subway waiting for for my train into Brooklyn where I was living. And there was a man playing a the Korra. Korra is a Senegalese or it's also played in Guinea of the South, but it is a West African instrument. It is a beautiful instrument. It's a string instrument. And he was just playing this Korra in the middle of the subway, and I, you know, kind of froze. It was one of those moments in time where I had a moment and I remember seeing people around me didn't even care. And I just was like, this is what I'm following. This is to me what's real this music, this culture. This is life. And what feels like is going on around me is not. And it's not fulfilling for me. So that I think is what pulled me in also to this to further this journey of, you know, coming back home to myself. And so that that instrument really had a powerful role in that moment in my life of my exit out of New York. There's a lot of immigrants that live in New York City so you will, you can eat anything from around the world you can pretty much hear any language around the world in that city. But you know that if anything motivated me to go out and explore what I needed to. And that's not any full circle moment because I'm actually going to be returning to New York for the jungle journal, giving an event presentation at the Brooklyn Museum on April 11. So I think the thing about New York is that you have to really know what it is that you're doing and what you're giving to the world for it to accept you and welcome you. I've heard from from people that feels correct for me. Yeah. And yeah, I'm sure I'm sure there's plenty of different ways to experience the city but that for me is it rings true. And it's going to be really nice to kind of bring back all this experience and work since I've left and and do this panel it's going to be a paneled event. So I'm really looking forward to that. It sounds like a wonderful opportunity for you to come back and to kind of share this work. As you, you leave you have this moment, right on the subway. You must have shared this with your parents. And how did they respond like you, you know, you've got a college degree you're doing advertising, and you have this realization. How did they respond to that. So, it was just my mom, my father had passed at that point, it had been three years since he had passed. So, you know, she was not happy about it. You know, it's kind of a pride and glory moment when your kid moves to New York to go work in the corporate world. You know what I mean. Yeah. But she's always been such an amazing support system and tree leader of mine. And following me into whatever pursuit I find myself in and trusting in the process. So she's always believed in me. And I think that has allowed a lot of freedom for what is what has developed and like I believe what will continue to grow from from my journey. There was resistance and that was hard forging your own path is always very difficult. But there was an inner knowing that I knew I had to listen to and she, you know, maybe at first resisted but inevitably was also very supportive. So, you know, it came with its challenges but in the end it, you know, there was trust there. She had trust in my journey as well. Sarah. Um, I often ask my guests to provide maybe some perspective, maybe some advice and, you know, coming from the RGB. I think there can be a lot of pressure and not just for kids from the RGB, but from all over, but particularly you pair children of immigrants working class kids. Um, or children of working class families where there is this expectation you're going to get a degree you're going to get a job right and and and I think more often than not we find ourselves in positions where, man, I don't feel fulfilled. I need to be somewhere else. I need to be pursuing something else. You have this moment. You have this conversation with your mother. What advice would you give a young person who maybe is finding themselves in that position in that space right now? I just have to say that it takes a lot of courage to be that honest with yourself. Because when I made that decision looking back at 27 2018 Sarah. That was a really difficult decision to make because no one else was making that decision at that time. Because my peers had obligations they had student debt to pay off they had they were the first generation immigrants and they had to continue course. Because that's what you're supposed to do. Me being third gen, you know, my, I will acknowledge the privilege in that. I will acknowledge also just, you know, my, my background and the, the financial abilities that I, I grew up with and that, you know, my support system I know not a lot of people have that, but at the end of the day, it is up to you. And I think you just have to listen to yourself so deeply and trust. Feels most in alignment to your yourself and your, your, your spirit. Above anything else is the most important. You're not compromising yourself and your gifts for anything or anyone. And that takes a lot of guts. That takes a lot of guts and it takes a lot of just, you have to believe in yourself more than anyone, like at the end of the day you have to be the one that believes in yourself so, so much. No one's going to tell you you need to do this this and this like if you have a goal and a vision for yourself, you have to trust it and make it happen. So for those strong willed and strong spirited who want to pave out a path outside of the one that's given to you, I would say you have to just trust yourself so deeply and know you're capable of doing it. I know that's more of a motivational speech, but that's really what it takes at the, at the base of it. Yeah, you have to, you have to hone. You have to hone out the voices that are, that are in the background and hone in on what it is that is sacred to you. And that's I think what I did with my, with my journey and I held that sacredness and that, you know, that vision very preciously and I continue to. We need more people like that, paving their own paths and making positive contributions to their communities to society. We really need it, especially in these times. And so if you have that mental fortitude and ability to to pave your own path. I mean, the name of something bigger than yourself. Do it. Thank you. Thank you. I think I think that's, it's, it's powerful, I think it, but it is important. And I am so I appreciate talking and sharing that you, ultimately you find your way into, I guess, conservation. So, when did you know, when did you know this is where I'm supposed to be? Was there a moment? Was it a series of moments? Was it, when did you know? I would say a series of moments is probably the correct answer, because when I first arrived to the Lakondona jungle, and really that first, that first publication of the jungle journal when we were still in v2 of the project, sorry, v1 of the project. And when I went to the Amazon rainforest, as well, there was something that I felt that I had never felt or experienced before. Sounds so cheesy, but it was just kind of the intimidation of the power of mother nature. But it was very humbling and an important reminder of our origins and, and the planet. You know, it's easy to lose track of that, you know, in our more industrialized nations and just the commercialization of everything, but it really was a perspective shift for me. And reminded me what's important to me. And so going back to the Lakondona jungle, I think that that was my initial visit in 2019. From the moment that I had arrived, I met chance up who would later be basically my the father of my comadre, because I am now the godmother to two of the Lakondon kids. He's the grandfather to those two kids. And the first met chance up as well, it was all just a very out of this world experience and you know, that's easy for any Western or someone from the outside going in and romanticizing, you know, these spaces. But it really was to not over intellectualize it just my the child like wander for nature. And so I was reinstilled in that first initial visit and the beauty of that connection of people from two very different realities and cultures that that that's possible to you know, just everything from bathing in the river because there's no showers, no, like, yeah, there's no functioning showers there they do manage to have a toilet though I will say that which is funny. But you have to bathe in the river. They have a Western toilet though. And then, yeah, just visiting the elders, spending time with the kids, you know, it's that first initial visit was just, it was a culture shock in many ways I was visiting an indigenous community. That was the first time I had ever visited an indigenous community before. I had never in particular in Mexico. I've been in spaces with, you know, folk cultures and native stewards throughout my, my, my journeys but this was a bit different. And so that was kind of a confirmation of sorts was that first initial visit. And it would be confirmed again and again every time I went back in to the jungle. And, you know, with that, my childlike wonder maintained but what started to happen at the same time was more of a reality. The awareness of the reality of that, of that region of that jungle. And, yeah, I think it knowing that knowing some of the activities that were going on and what's happening with the community, the cultural loss, the cultural degradation. It made it more confirmation, you know, made it more clear for me to continue on on this path. So, yeah, I would say it was a series. It was a series of confirmations for me in doing this work and really what felt the most important, especially as I had mentioned earlier, the initial phase of this project what rolled what introduced my project to the world, you know, was initially publishing in a magazine format, but this second phase has been has been different in that sense of conservation and the thought leadership in conservation and all of these looking back visits to the jungle were just confirmations of following that path. And it sounds like the, it was not only a series of experiences but also relationships that you're building along the way that all contributed to finding yourself there finding your purpose. Absolutely. You was was did your was at your background and advertising that led you to the idea of the concept of the jungle journal, the photography and what it eventually became. 100%. That felt like the perfect precursor and just prepping for what would eventually be this project. Things kind of started to make sense like okay this is why I learned these skill sets and this is why I, you know, felt I needed to to study this this is why I needed to go into a portfolio program. I needed to learn how to make things look appealing. So I could present things to the public that I felt were important and needed the public's attention. Yeah. So, I would say 100%. Yes. You to you talked a little bit about version to what is version to what do you. What is that looking like. So version to of the project. Looks more like thought leadership with the jungle journal and particular with a particular focus on the Americas, mainly Latin America. Without leadership being hosting panels, like the one I had mentioned, I had done earlier this year in Mexico City, that cassava skis, the upcoming one that's happening at the Brooklyn Museum on April 11, where we're talking about the conservation of species. It's going to be a bit different in New York, and I imagine every panel will deal with a different theme of conservation. The Mexico City one was relevant to do the lack and don't jungle. Now stepping more stateside. There will be a broader conversation of like the rainforest networks but it's very, very important that the audience knows what's at stake in terms of some of the decline in species that we're currently seeing. And so, you know, the monarch butterfly, which makes its migratory route down into southern Mexico, as well as other birds that are have been recently put on the endangered species list. I think, you know, that's that's one of the major pillars of this v2 is the thought leadership panels, public speaking, another are these educational initiatives, the one that's happening. And currently in the works, and that I'm active on is bringing the topic of conservation to RGV schools. So I would say that's the second pillar, and that I plan on expanding to more Latino dominant or predominantly Latino populated schools. It is a weaving of sorts intersecting these themes of environmental responsibility and a reclamation of identity. And there's a whole other topic I can get into with that, as there's been a lot of shame with our people and land, especially being the descendant of migrant farm workers. I just think it's really important to for part of what this work is is reconnecting the future generations to the land and giving them a perspective of how connected. And what the ecosystems are, even if they are stateside, you know, there's species that are going into the lands of where their ancestors came from. And that there is a sense of responsibility I want to instill in them to, to take care of that, and also to take care of where they physically are. And then the third pillar. And then, to me, it's just information online. There is a with V2. There is a emphasis of thought leadership like I mentioned with the in person events and public speaking but also online via social media. And then on the field work, I will say is the last one it's continuing these relationships with the indigenous communities that myself and my network have spent years in establishing these bonds and doing what we can to provide aid and education, mainly, because that's how I see how we can fix a lot of the woes of the world. It's it's reaching those communities and creating almost this also ecosystem and network in of itself but that is the jungle journal. So those those four pillars consist of V2 of the jungle journal. Your passion, right? Your passion, I think certainly comes through. It's clear that you're doing work that is incredibly meaningful to you. It sounds like you have absolutely found your purpose. But it also sounds like that has come about through, like we said, a series of experiences and travels and relationships. Sarah, thank you for sharing your story with us. Thank you for sharing it with me and with our listeners as we because I want to be mindful of your time. So as we transition out. And as we conclude here, what maybe final piece of advice would you like to leave for our listeners out there. It, and I would say, maybe the your audience, this is this would be for young people. So something that I incorporate into my talks or lectures presentations what say you is reminding the kids usually at the end how fortunate they are that they live and come from this country. And I am the first to state how flawed the country is in many ways, and how it is systematically flawed and there's a lot of perpetuation of outdated beliefs and ideologies that exist within institutions and I will just say though, at the end of the day, having traveled the world, and also having witnessed people walk here in the Lackandona jungle, walking over from Guatemala into Mexico with nothing. Basically a small backpack on their backs, or a mother with her kids and no possessions. They're all doing that to get here. So really utilize the privilege you have of just being a US citizen and don't take it for granted. We are given a lot of access and privilege. And again, it can be improved. But really, like in the perspective in the global perspective, we are truly, truly lucky. So don't take that for granted. Pursue what you love. Follow your heart. And you know, if at the same time you have to face reality and put a roof over your head, do that at the same time, you know, but don't ever give up on your, your creative passions, or what really sets your heart on fire, because I think the world needs more of that. So I would say those, those are some things to put in perspective and what I would like to share to the listeners and future generations from my experiences, what I've witnessed, and also just my personal wherever I've got personally. Appreciate that. I appreciate that. Thank you. Sarah, thank you again for your story. Thank you for your journey. Thank you for the work, the very important work that you're doing. It is incredibly powerful. And as you said, given, I mean, it's always important. It's always timely, right? But particularly now, where we're at, where the world is at, it sounds like this, this work absolutely needs to be happening. So thank you for taking this work. Thank you. Thank you for your support and your words and, and for having me on this podcast. It really is such a pleasure to share, especially with a RGV based podcast, the journey, and as it is, again, a full circle moment for me and I love coming back in and sharing the knowledge. I think that's really what is part of the, the work and that is what happens as you get older. It's, it's shifting it and putting the power now into the hands of the younger generations and helping them and just all that. So thank you for having me. Absolutely. Absolutely. This concludes another episode of the way to college podcast. Thank you to our guests. Thank you to our listeners and viewers out there. Please make sure you subscribe, rate, follow the podcast and do me the favor and share the podcast with one other person. I'd appreciate it. Thank you. We'll see you again soon. Bye bye. Yeah.