Joshua Mayo

Josh is a fourth-year marine biology major at UC Santa Cruz who is especially interested in sharks. He is originally from San Diego, and prior to coming to Santa Cruz he had some interest in the naturalist world, but it was not until he took his first field research class, which further ignited his passion. Being out in nature was refreshing and he was instantly hooked and interested in learning more about the surrounding plants and animals. He says that the California Ecology and Conservation field quarter he took was one of the most influential naturalist teaching courses he has had. At his time at Santa Cruz, his development as a naturalist also benefited from mentorship from Gage Dayton and Katherine Dale.

Some of the obstacles he has had to face in his naturalist career is seeing a lack of representation of people of color as naturalists, which can sometimes be discouraging. He thinks one way we can help address this problem is to provide more outreach to youth in communities of color.

One of Josh’s most memorable naturalist moments came while he was working on the “Lizard Wizards” team working to collect specimens in the San Jacinto Mountains using small sticks with floss attached to them. Josh believes that with genuine enthusiasm and personal interactions, people in your circle are bound to become naturalists.