Originally from Southern California, Shaina has a love for dynamic and fragile ecosystems like the coastal chaparral woodlands of her home.  In the summer of 2011, however, a seasonal position at Olympic National Park led her north to the Pacific Northwest and she has been enchanted by its rainy forests ever since.  Whether it’s minerals, lichens, mushrooms, or flower petals, Shaina enjoys looking at the world closely in order to discover and marvel at the intricacies of nature. She completed her BS in Geology at Western Washington University in the Fall of 2017 where she had the opportunity to research metamorphic rocks, notably blueschists (the most beautiful of rocks, in her opinion), for her senior thesis.  She is excited to explore the ever-changing wilderness surrounding Mount St. Helens and, in her free time, can be found singing by rivers, sitting on beaches, and ambling in the woods.