Published in ConnectED Newsletter - Volume 8 - Issue 3 - May 2025
Rafael Cruz is a New York City Urban Park Ranger. In his job, he does three main things. First, he makes sure everyone in the parks is safe by enforcing park rules and ensuring no one is in danger. The second is animal condition: whenever there is a sick or injured animal in a park, he safely captures it and transports it to animal care centers and rehabilitators. He also releases rehabilitated animals back into their natural habitats. Lastly, as an Urban Park Ranger, he teaches school groups of all grades about local wildlife, geology, plants, ecology, and history in both parks and classrooms.
Mr. Cruz enjoys expressing himself through his lessons. For each class he teaches, he is able to choose what to teach as long as it aligns with the general program, which focuses on plants, urban wildlife, ecosystems, geology, and history. He finds being able to serve the local neighborhoods very rewarding, whether it is just answering questions or teaching. Moreover, he and his colleagues maintain the parks as safe spaces for everyone in the city. For example, in February, he and his team were able to rescue a group of teenagers who walked onto a frozen pond. They sprang into action and quickly removed the teenagers from the water.
According to Mr. Cruz, the Science Learning and Public Engagement program opened the door to countless different career paths—museums, schools, parks, and other educational institutions. “This program is what allowed me to be where I am today,” he says. As a part of the program, he needed to do an internship, and his advisor suggested working with Park Rangers. “I feel lucky to have found this major because it connected my love for science and my desire to teach others,” he concludes. “I had an amazing group of people to support me, including my advisor, my instructors, and the classmates in my cohort.”
Mr. Cruz’s next academic goal is to apply to Miami University’s Project Dragonfly, a graduate program in wildlife conservation, or Advanced Inquiry Program, a program leading do an M.A. in Biology. As for professional goals, he plans to stay with Park Rangers because his position gives him a lot of insight and experience in the field of informal science education.
Last Updated: 05/27/2025 19:16