Luz Robles
Luz Robles
she/her
- Learning by Leading role: Arboretum Ambassadors, Co-coordinator and Intern (2024-2026)
- Major: Agricultural and Environmental Education
My name is Luz Robles, and my pronouns are she/her. I’m a fourth-year Agricultural and Environmental Education major. Currently, I’m one of the Co-Coordinators for the Arboretum Ambassadors, and I’m finishing up my second year on the team. My involvement with the Arboretum Ambassadors, and the Learning-by-Leading program as a whole has made me realize my potential and the passion I carry towards building healthier, sustainable communities through education and interpersonal development. This team has challenged me to grow beyond what I thought I was capable of, and I’m so grateful for it.
So far, my favorite project has to be the return of our Nature Rx Chair Share program. This year, we decided to make the events more collaborative by partnering with local organizations who could lead conversations (or activities) related to social and mental health. We realized that many students were still struggling to build community in college, and much of it was related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Time in nature is restorative for our mind, body and soul, so incorporating more community involvement in our Chair Shares felt like the perfect opportunity to encourage conversation and build a supportive environment outdoors. We had two Chair Share events in Spring, one with Imagining America and one with UC Davis Global Tea Institute. Imagining America featured arts & crafts; people could choose a piece of paper with a reflective question, answer it, make paper airplanes and throw it to each other. It sparked a lot of interesting discussions! UCD Global Tea Institute brought craft blends, and their signature Tea Meditation activity. Many came to sip tea and spend time together outdoors, which was quite beautiful. These experiences really taught me the value of accessible green spaces, and how they can play a significant role in bringing people together.
In LxL, I’ve learned so many important interpersonal, organizational, and executive skills that have made me more confident in myself and my ability to lead. By the end of my first year, I was used to getting pushed outside of my comfort zone which had significantly improved my collaboration and communication skills. I thought myself as somewhat introverted when I first started, but working for the Ambassadors really brought me out of my shell. I realized I really am a people-person! I love tabling at various events where I can interact with so many different people; to tell them about my love for the APG and how we work to promote environmental sustainability, literacy and education. Becoming a Co-Coordinator only enhanced my experience in the program; it challenged me into sharpening my executive and organization skills, molding me into the best leader I can be. I’ve become more adaptable when it comes to planning, and more clear-minded when it comes to prioritizing. I can easily say this program strengthened my sense-of-self. To that end: my staff mentor, Melissa Cruz Hernandez, has been absolutely instrumental to my journey. My first year at Davis was rough due to a tragic situation that happened shortly after I transferred, and it really did a number on my motivation and self esteem. It felt like I was just surviving. But, once I got into the LxL program, I met Melissa. She was the one who welcomed me into a safe, supportive environment where I could thrive and grow as a leader. It feels like I was a butterfly hiding in its chrysalis, and she’s the one who got me to spread my wings. She challenged me in healthy ways; encouraging me to take initiative, trust my instincts and never be afraid to ask for help. I’m very grateful for her guidance and wisdom, it’s made a strong impact on who I am today.
I believe our work has encouraged people to value green spaces and community belonging. I can’t explain the joy it brings me to see people spending quality time in the Arboretum; to think about how nature really does promote healing and how “Nature Rx”, a prescription for nature, existed long before we created a term for it. I also feel that working in outreach for the APG has greatly enhanced my career prospects as an environmental education major. I’m not only graduating with the technical skills involved in teaching, but also the soft skills needed to be a successful teacher. I could also explore work in resource or community coordination because of my experiences in LxL. Combined with the knowledge from my plant and soil science emphasis, I feel like I’ve really been set up for success. On that note, one of my favorite aspects about working in LxL is that it’s a strengths-based organization, which I’d never heard about before. It’s basically a way of viewing others through the lens of their strengths, and not their weaknesses. By practicing this, I became more confident because I started looking at myself through a strengths-based lens too. I really am forever grateful for my experiences in this program, and to the people who helped make it happen. Thank you all.