Cam Juárez’s Passion for Parks Engages All Part 1

Cam Juárez joined the National Park Service in January 2016, serving as the Community Engagement and Outreach Coordinator and Public Information Officer for Saguaro National Park where he serves on the park’s leadership team.

Cam uses creativity and storytelling to engage nontraditional park attendees. He described how he first was introduced to Yosemite and how that planted a seed for his current career. He works to make the park more inclusive specifically for Latinos and representative of our local demographics for visitors and employees. He reminds us that not only do the parks preserve wild spaces but they also maintain and tell the stories of people, places, and events of the U.S. civil rights movement. He discusses labor leaders César Chávez, Richard Chávez, and Dolores Huerta.

Cam was born to migrant farmworker parents in Yuma, Arizona. His mother Adela helped to put 7 of her 9 children through college, with 5 of them earning advanced degrees from universities all over the country. Cam has a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Arizona in Mexican American Studies; as well as a Master’s degree in Urban Planning –pursuing both degrees while working full-time. Cam is a community and education advocate, serving as both a founding member of the Arizona César E. Chávez Holiday Coalition and a Tucson Unified Governing Board member (2012- 2016).

Part 1 of a 2 part series.

Recorded and produced by Amanda Shauger.