Hi! My name is Armando Penales. I grew up in Los Angeles, but you can always find me at the beach or hiking in SAMO or Malibu. LA beaches are my go-to places when I need to relax and decompress. I’m a big music fan. I can listen to about anything, but recently I have been listening to a lot of R&B. I also love playing guitar and piano when I have time.  

After eight years of police and correction work in the military, I wanted to try something different. This internship seems like an excellent opportunity to see different fields of work, meet new people, and learn a new set of skills. Moving to another state is the most exciting thing for me because I have lived in the city my whole life. I’m looking forward to a smaller town where I can breathe fresh air.  

I have done a lot of trail maintenance, camping, and volunteer work prior and I enjoyed it. I loved volunteering with my old high school and with students. I look forward to serving as a Conservation Education Assistant on the Umatilla National Forest. Many of my friends told me I was crazy to take an AmeriCorps internship. However, even though money plays a big part in our lives, doing something you love and enjoy is far more important to me. I’ve always had a natural obligation to help people, so I hope to be very supportive and helpful to my team.  

I look forward to the adventure.