Dayna De La Cruz (she/they) is a proud Mexican-American child of immigrants, and first-generation college graduate. She works at the intersection of science communication and environmental justice. Growing up in Houston, Texas, one of the largest cities in the U.S., she witnessed many first-hand examples of environmental injustices that inspired her to pursue a career in the realm of conservation.
She graduated Wellesley College with a Bachelors Degree in Biological Sciences before beginning her career as a scientist. As a trained ecologist, she has had an array of research experiences across the U.S. and Latin America. Naturally, her work overlapped with science communication and environmental advocacy, leading her to participate in many other initiatives including running science-communication programs, organizing socio-ecological webinars, participating in environmental bi-partisan policy forums, advocating for field research safety, hosting science podcasts and creating science-communication social media videos.
Dayna believes social media is an extremely powerful communication tool if used consciously, carefully and intentionally. As a Social Media Intern at the Open Environmental Data Project, she is committed to disseminating vital information that will not only increase data accessibility and stewardship, but also helps communities and partners understand the valuable impact they can have.
In her free time, Dayna enjoys reading, journaling, writing, traveling, exploring, surfing, diving, hiking, and anything that makes her body move. She is a fierce advocate for inclusivity in the outdoors and is consistently trying new things that will continue to strengthen her bond with nature. You can connect with Dayna on LinkedIn or at dayna@openenvironmentaldata.org.
