Indivisible volunteers bring with them unique backgrounds and passions that make our grassroots organization more than the sum of its parts. Let’s get to know Cristina Bourassa, a key volunteer on our New Membership/Member Recruitment Committee:
1. What compelled you to volunteer with Indivisible?
“I initially decided to volunteer in order to become more informed on local issues. Like many residents, I transplanted to San Diego from elsewhere and I hadn’t been particularly involved in my community, despite my desire to do so. Indivisible became an opportunity to apply and practice my strengths in a venue where others were doing the same. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to work with and get to know my neighbors.”
2. Which political issue do you care most about and why?
“I’ve always been someone who fully believes that people and the ecological environment in which we live are intrinsically and inextricably related. Similarly, the political issues I care most about are related. Think: healthy people, healthy environment. Part of my becoming a scientist was to visit beautiful and remote lands, but without policies and institutions to protect them, they will and they are disappearing at an alarming rate. With the disappearance of those lands, so goes the people, their cultures, their language, all of the history and insight they possess. To that end, the side of humanity, civil liberties need protections, too. I am a woman, a scientist, a Latina, and daughter, a granddaughter, and a traveler. These identities drive me to work towards a career that assists communities to achieve the quality of life they desire.”
3. What brought you to San Diego?
“In 2013 I lived in Ocean Beach while completing an internship at the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve. It had been a long time since I felt that level of calmness inside. While my stay was short, I knew I needed to return to San Diego to further discover what it had to offer me. San Diego presented me new opportunities: I had never lived on an international border, never been snowboarding and surfing on the same day (I don’t surf but I’d like to), never lived anywhere that looked as magical as Sunset Cliffs, never been without seasons, never not had a car, and lots of other things. While I came to San Diego to find a job, the migration became more than I could have imagined.”
4. What’s one fun fact you’d like to share about yourself?
“I once happily lived in Gandoca, Costa Rica to protect the Leatherback sea turtle population. I monitored hatcheries overnight, without insect repellent or light, and little for entertainment. I woke up in the mornings and drew labyrinths on the ground before laying on the black sand until it was too hot to lay anywhere besides where the ocean’s tide washed in. My journey in science stemmed from this experience.”
Meet dedicated volunteers like Cristina at our next member meeting: Sunday, September 17, 12:30 pm at Blind Lady Ale House (https://www.facebook.com/events/1190187057794863)
- Lindsay, Social Media Co-Manager