Brianna Hicks

Current title: Ecosystem science and stewardship program manager, Colorado Mountain College, Steamboat Springs

What’s your background?

 I grew up in Arlington, Texas, and moved to Fort Collins, Colorado, in high school. I went from concrete jungle to living within an hour of Roosevelt National Forest and Rocky Mountain National Park. Exploring these areas impacted me deeply, learning to navigate big mountains made me feel confident in myself. It also helped me make a connection to the natural world, which would change my life. After high school I went to Front Range Community College and received my Associate degree. I didn’t quite know what I wanted to do for my Bachelor degree but I knew I needed to be outside and feel purpose in my work. That led me to interning with Rocky Mountain Youth Corps for a Natural Resource internship with the Routt National Forest Service.

That summer and fall I absolutely fell in love with conservation work and Steamboat began to feel like home. I became best friends with my crew and got involved in the community and decided to stay for the winter. I continued to volunteer with the Forest Service, taught ski school for the mountain, and interned with Yampa Valley Sustainability Council for their resilient land and water program. I learned so much about wet meadow restoration and was able to build a 3D wet meadow restoration model that will help educate volunteers and partners with YVSC. I knew before taking these two internships that I wanted to be doing impactful work and give back to the land that changed my life, but I had no idea I would meet so many amazing mentors and crew leaders that would also change my life.

What’d you do during other college summers? 

My first two years of college I worked for a property management company in Fort Collins. It was a great experience that taught me a lot about customer service and professionalism. But I also learned that I wanted to be outside with the trees and mountains all day and not in an office. 

How did you hear about and end up in the RMYC Internship program? 

I was looking for conservation jobs that I could apply for with no tail work experience and landed on the RMYC website and immediately knew that I wanted to apply for the Natural Resources internship. 

How’d the intern season go and what all did you learn? 

My intern season was amazing, I was on the developed rec crew where we maintained all the Forest Service campsites and trailheads. I gained skills in leadership, teamwork, and using different power tools. I really enjoyed getting to know the forest so well. I don’t think there would have been a better opportunity as far as moving to a new place and getting emerged immediately into all the best trails and camping spots. 

What all did your job entail? 

A lot of things. The basic tasks that we did every week were maintaining campsites and trailheads. We would keep up with reservations and make sure the areas around the campgrounds were kept up. It involved a lot of weed whacking, trail building, educating the public, and putting up signs. 

How did your RMYC internship help prepare you for your current position? 

It gave me the opportunity to do two days of wet meadow restoration within California Park. That’s where I got connected to the Yampa Valley Sustainability Council and was able to get an internship doing further research and education in California Park. 

Any advice for other RMYC interns? Embrace it all. Each day in your internship will teach you something new and you will get to see and experience new things. There aren’t a lot of jobs like that out there so embrace each new opportunity. 

Any plans for the future? 

Living in Steamboat, the best town in the world, and starting the ecosystem science and stewardship program at CMC in the fall of 2025.