Please join us in congratulating UC California Naturalist Program Advisory Committee Member and course instructor Claudia P Diaz Carrasco for an award and recognition she received from Senator Mike Morrell for her work engaging underserved youth in environmental stewardship. Diaz Carrasco is an Area 4-H Youth Development Advisor with UC ANR in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, including the Coachella Valley. Her primary focus is to develop, implement, evaluate, strengthen and expand local 4-H programming to better serve currently under-represented populations and places, including Latino and/or low-income youth in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. She is the instructor for the first bi-lingual UC California Naturalist certification course. According to Sandy Bonilla, Founder of the Urban Conservation Corps of the Inland Empire, "Diaz has been instrumental in helping the Urban Conservation Corps develop greater capacity to engage youth of color in environmental education and stewardship, especially as it relates to resource development. Her work engaging diverse children (Latinos, African-Americans, Native Americans) into the environmental movement is to be applauded... THANK YOU CLAUDIA!  We also give thanks to Senator Mike Morrell for recognizing such a community Champion!"