Hello everyone! I’m Alejandra and this summer I am the Multimedia Outreach Intern at the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park. How did I get here? Well, let me tell you. As a product of the Texas public school system, I have had my fair share of Texas history courses. Texans learn about the unique history of this state in fourth and seventh grades.

This summer I am the Multimedia Outreach Intern at San Antonio Missions National Historical Park. I’m working in the Department of Interpretation under the Visual Information Specialist for the park Justine Hanrahan. What all these terms mean is that I am working with the department responsible for telling the history and narrative of the park.

When someone mentions the National Park Service, the first ones that come to mind are Yosemite, the Grand Canyon, and Yellowstone. They are parks where visitors are immediately immersed in the wonders of nature. On the other hand, San Antonio Missions National Historical Park is six minutes from downtown San Antonio and each of the four missions is situated in a neighborhood. Yet, Missions NHP still has plenty of nature to offer and is dedicated to environmental conservation and sustainability.

San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, like many national parks, is unique in so many ways. The missions stand as a reminder of the native peoples who were converted to Spanish citizens 300 years ago.  However, the most interesting piece of its history is that it is the first, and only, place within the National Park System to operate jointly with a religious organization and have active parishes.

This summer was an amazing experience and I could not have asked for a better park! I learned so much as the Multimedia Outreach Intern at San Antonio Missions National Historical Park. The Missions was the perfect place for me to spend my summer and the projects challenged me professionally.

Sebastián is a Ph.D. candidate in the Anthropology program at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), where he is identifying samples of charred wood from Maya archaeological sites in Chiapas, Mexico for his dissertation on pre-Columbian forest-use. He has an M.A. from UTSA and a B.A. from the College of William and Mary in Virginia, both in Anthropology, and has taught introductory Archaeology courses at San Antonio community colleges for the past three semesters. He is a passionate believer in the National Parks Service goal of advancing conservation through education and public outreach and is excited to have the opportunity to help further that goal this summer through the LHIP.

Nestor was born and raised in Denver, CO. He was first in his family to graduate from high school and is now first in his family to graduate from Metropolitan State University of Denver, receiving a degree in Sociology and Chicano/a Studies with a concentration of Social Practice. Nestor believes in empowering youth of today, because education is important, especially when the there is a high rate of Latino dropouts and low college attendance rates. Recently, Nestor had the honor to sit on a restorative justice panel with Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, and Chief of Police Robert White.  This panel discussion was held because of the massive injustice of police brutality across America. This year for the 14th annual Cesar E. Chavez March, Nestor was awarded the Cesar Chavez Male Leadership Award for his activism in his community and making a difference. His great work was recognized by the University of his Class standing by receiving the Senior Leadership Award. 

Chantelle received her B.A. in Sociology with minors in Anthropology and Art at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, TX and has continued her education at the University of Texas at San Antonio for an M.A. in Anthropology as well as a certificate in Non-Profit Management and Leadership. Chantelle’s research focus is in food insecurity in San Antonio and how it affects health and well-being of communities. She enjoys dancing, painting, cooking, hiking, and gardening. She is excited to serve as an Urban Ranger and lead summer youth programs to teach stories of the San Antonio Missions and raise awareness of how to protect public lands. Chantelle plans to incorporate art and dance in the summer youth programs to bring a fun and creative way to learn about cultural and natural history.

Alejandra Garza is currently a graduate student at the University of Texas at Austin pursuing a PhD in History, with a portfolio in Mexican American Latin@ Studies. She received her B.A. in History from Texas A&M University-Kingsville, with a minor in journalism. Alejandra’s upbringing in South Texas inspired her research of vaqueros and historical memory, which will be the focus of her doctoral dissertation. Through her research, she hopes to show how everyday people live incredible lives which contribute to the larger history of a region.   She believes that the extraordinary lies within the seemingly ordinary. Alejandra is excited to contribute to the cultural understanding of the San Antonio Missions and continue to educate the public about the history. She feels that LHIP further helped her facilitate her goals of being a public historian. Furthermore, Alejandra worked in an environment she’s dreamed of since visiting the Missions during her fourth grade field trip.