Transcript
Mi nombre es Amy (Ei-mi). I prefer They/Them pronouns pero I don’t mind He or She or any other pronombre you feel inclined to use for me.
Yo le quiero contar un poco de mi and my professional and spiritual journey up until this point in order to give you all a bit of context into why I am the way I am and why I do what I do.
I come from a very humble background. I was born in Miami – part of the rightful ancestral lands of the Indigenous Calusa and Tequesta people and current Sovereign homelands of the Miccosukee and Seminole Natives. My younger sister and I were raised by our single mother in Miami, pero mi familia viene de un campo en la isla de Kiskeya, also known as Dominican Republic – the ancestral homeland of my Indigenous Taíno people. And it was there that my love and appreciation por la naturaleza and Madre Gaia really blossomed.
I’ve always felt more at home outside and around animals than I do around people, just because of how sensitive I am to other’s energy (which often times is not the most kind or positive vibe). And as I grew more into my spirituality in recent years, I realized that my connection to Nature serves as a gateway and a foundation for me to connect more to Source, my Ancestors, and to the rest of the Divine Spiritual realm.
Eventually, my love for animals and nature would lead me to volunteer at Zoo Miami as a high school student, where I was first exposed to Wildlife Conservation. Working at the zoo and learning about and teaching visitors about endangered species and environmental stewardship was what inspired me to want to study the environment and learn of ways I could help save the planet from the destruction que nosotros los humanos causamos.
So I went on to get a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies and Biopsychology in Medford, MA – the unceded and rightful lands of the Massachusett and Wampanoag Native peoples. I got my first experience in research as an undergraduate research assistant in a pigeon cognition lab, and was exposed to the world of social justice and activism as I took part in some of the first Black Lives Matter demonstrations on and around campus. This exposure would finally help me overcome the internalized anti-Blackness that was ingrained in me by my Dominican family and culture – a culture and country that has been heavily influenced by the racist sentiments and policies of the colonizers and the US.
During this time I also decided to leave the religious institution that I had grown up in, because I couldn’t tolerate the church’s lack of acknowledgement and support for the plight of my Black and Brown kin. This would also mark the beginning of my own very personal spiritual journey, as I searched to make sense of my understanding and connection to Source and the Divine outside of organized religion.
As an undergraduate, I also experienced my first micro- and macro-aggressions at the hands of white men. I was asked whether I spoke a different language because of my “accent” – mind you I was born and raised in the US. I was made fun of by one of my advisors for my informal manner of speaking (I said ‘cuz’ instead of ‘because’), and I was flat out told by another advisor that I wouldn’t get into the Master’s program I was considering applying to (which I did end up being admitted to and attending). All of this is just to show how hostile and unsupportive this ‘prestigious’ institution ended up being towards me and my other friends of Color as well.
The summer before my senior year, I studied abroad for a couple of months at The School for Field Studies in Tanzania. Here, I saw firsthand the arrogance of the white “saviors” who come to countries, like those in the Mother Land, to impose their outsider views and pass judgements with no real understanding or consideration of the Native people, their culture, or their experiential and ancestral wisdom.
But I also discovered my love for field work and wildlife ecology after riding through the Ngorongoro Crater, camping out in the Serengeti, and observing the magnificent beauty of the nature and wildlife in Tanzania.
Overall, I would describe my experience in Tanzania as very ethereal and dreamy. I grew up watching National Geographic and Animal Planet on TV almost religiously as a child. But never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that I would get the opportunity to visit the African wildlife in the majestic grasslands that I had seen on television. So to this day, that whole trip still feels like a dream because of how incredibly magical the whole experience was for me. And I am so immensely grateful for my time in Tanzania.
It was because of my exposure to wildlife ecology and fieldwork in Tanzania that I went on to study avian ecology during my Master’s program at California State University, Los Angeles – which resides on the ancestral and rightful lands of the Tongva people. My project was specifically aimed at looking at how bird communities in LA urban parks changed based on neighborhood income and based on the amount of vegetation and building cover in and around the parks. If you would like to read more about this project, I’ve linked the paper on the Environmental Services page under ‘Publications’.
This research project was also my first introduction to urban ecology, which I discovered was the perfect discipline for me since it is a very intersectional field where I got to combine my passions of being in and observing nature and speaking on socio-environmental justice issues in my community through my work.
In LA, my spirituality also really started to bloom as I delved into consciousness-expanding substances and spent countless hours outside in Nature (almost on a daily basis). I was exposed to the world of tarot by one of my very close friends, and we started learning about and discussing our magical ancestral legacies and Earth-based spirituality.
I also became aware of and began to heal many of my major past-life (and current) karmic lessons during this time. Some of the themes and major lessons of my particular spiritual journey were that of Self-Love, Self-Empowerment, and radical Self-Acceptance.
Being diagnosed for Autism in LA also helped a lot with this self-acceptance. So much of my life was put into perspective after the diagnosis, and it made it much easier for me to accept the parts of myself that I had been extremely self-conscious about in the past as a result of misunderstandings and misperceptions by the people around me. It also allowed me to begin “unmasking” – which is a term used in the Autistic community to describe the process of dropping the “masks” we instinctively put on throughout our lives to try to fit in as “normal” within a society that rejects our neurodivergent traits and mannerisms.
It was in LA where I also began to more fully immerse myself in the queer community, where I felt a comradery and a kinship like none other. After attending my first Pride parade in LA, I realized that the reason I felt so ‘at home’ and so free within the LGBTQIA+ community was because I was queer myself – because this was my community too. This was another hugely validating realization and experience that allowed me to step even further into my true self with unapologetic confidence, especially as my queer identity continued to evolve and mature in the following years.
After LA, I moved on to a PhD program in Earth and Planetary Science at Hopkins – which resides on the unceded, ancestral lands of the Susquehannock and Piscataway Conoy Tribes. Here I had hoped to expand my urban ecology knowledge and experience by studying other forms of urban life. I began studying plant communities in residential yards across Baltimore and was in the process of starting a new passion project where I would be looking at the plant and soil microbe communities of vacant lots in predominantly Black neighborhoods across Baltimore City.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to see my vacant lots project through. After being ill-advised, discriminated against, and being denied help by my advisor, and after being subjected to psychological bullying by this advisor and spiritual abuse and manipulation by some of my peers (all of whom were white woman by the way), I decided to leave this toxic program with another Master’s instead for the sake of my peace and well-being. Needless to say, it’s a long story.
But if you would like to learn more about what my idea was for this project, I’ve uploaded a short proposal I had written and an introductory talk I had given on it in the ‘Environmental Services’ page (just click on the Vacant Lots Project Proposal button to access that).
My entire experience in academia taught me that I don’t need a credential or degree to tell me that I’m ‘allowed’ to study nature or use my knowledge, skills, and gifts. I’m just going to use them how I see fit – to help Mother Earth and my people – instead of using them for the benefit of the oppressor (and to my own detriment). And I don’t need anyone to tell me what I can or can’t do, they’re just going to have to sit back and watch me DO.
My experience also confirmed to me just how toxic and exclusionary academia, or the ‘ivory tower’, is of people like me. But, I also noticed that there are bright spots amid the darkness of academia. While my experience in the “elite” institutions I attended as an undergraduate and PhD student were nothing short of traumatic, discriminatory, and stifling, I had the opposite experience at Cal State LA – a minority serving institution. Here I was allowed to thrive and grow academically and professionally like never before. I received the support, encouragement, and resources I needed to truly step into my scientific abilities with a confidence I didn’t have before then.
And this just goes to show how invaluable institutions like Cal State LA are for those of us who don’t fit into academia’s preferred demographic group of “neurotypical”, “white”, or “wealthy”. So they can tout ‘Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion’ all they want (just as my PhD department did), but the truth is that academia is still a very racist, classist, and ableist institution that values clout and prestige over the inclusion, development, and success of students from diverse backgrounds.
While in Baltimore, my spirituality also evolved and flourished as I developed a closer relationship to my Ancestors and tapped into my ancestral and past-life wisdom. It was in my search for external love that I learned to believe in and Love myself fiercely and unconditionally, and this in turn attracted some of my most beautiful and cherished friendships. But this confidence and radical Self-Love also started eliciting a lot of envy and malicious intent by others around me who I had believed were my friends and genuine supporters.
Still, it was because of the unconditional Love that I had for myself that I learned to Love all others despite their human flaws. And it was on this path that my magnificently ethereal power was revealed to me. I discovered just how strong and courageous and radiant I could be all on my own and with the help and Love of Source and the Divine Spiritual realm that were with me every step of the way.
And now I’m here: starting my own business where I offer my help and expertise in spiritual and environmental matters to those who need it. I’ve also decided to fully step into my creative/artistic abilities by using it as a mode of healing and helping to inspire others in their own creative endeavors as well.
I’ve uploaded lists of the specific services I offer on each of the three Service category pages. I’m not going to go through the lists in this video, but if you have questions about any of the services listed, please please reach out to let me know.
I also want to mention that as I continue to grow and learn and evolve spiritually, scientifically, and creatively, these services will likely expand and evolve with me too; so stay tuned for any updates I make to these lists.
Thank you for taking the time to get through this story. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions, comments, or concerns you may have. I want to leave you with one final word of advice and that is to not be afraid to be your true and authentic self. Follow your dreams no matter how crazy or unlikely it may seem because as long as you have faith in yourself and in the Divine, absolutely ANYTHING is possible.
May you stay in Peace and in Love and in Light always. Take care.