Amrin Shaikh joined our crew as the oldest member of the crew and came with great enthusiasm in learning. A few years ago, Amrin moved from India with limited access to any kind of language and education. Joining the crew with full communication access in ASL, and having the project contacts know how to interact and communicate visually with the crew gave Amrin a huge benefit of understanding the importance of conservation and the preservation of nature. Every week she gained hands-on project experience during hot summer, built confidence, and developed skills in leadership, code switching, conflict resolution, problem solving, and briefing the projects to the stakeholders.

As the youngest member, McKenna Brentham is well known for her terrific leadership and athletic skills at Texas School for the Deaf (TSD). Working outdoors has given her a better perspective on how mentally and physically challenging it is to stay safe and productive at work during the hot sunny weather in humid environment areas. It is nothing compared to her experience in playing softball. The crew has dug mulch piles into the wheelbarrows and added mulch to the trees at the approximately 2-acre city parks in Austin, Texas for two full weeks. At the end of the summer, she built closer relationships amongst crew members as she learned to communicate and use teamwork skills effectively so the projects can complete faster with great quality control. She completes the summer with a great satisfaction and enriching learning experience.