Hello Everyone! My name is Priscilla Rios, I am a 25 years young Puerto Rican Expressional and Environmental Artist, Born and raised in Camden New Jersey, with a passion for Community Advocacy and Wildlife / Environmental Conservation through Art and Education.

I am in need of my local and surrounding Community's help to raise funding for an incredible, once in a life time opportunity from Temple University to visit my families home island of Puerto Rico where I will be exploring and engaging with environmental scientists and local community members to experience hands-on conservation fieldwork in Puerto Rico's unique ecosystems. This will allow me to discover cultural traditions and community efforts that are shaping the island’s environmental future and sustainability in hopes of applying new conservation methods and community practices into our Camden Community Home from Puerto Rico. During this trip I will be exploring parts of the National Tropical Rain Forest of El Yunque, and an area of the Piñones Mangrove Forest Reserve for storm protection and eco balance, the Coral Reefs to learn about reef restorations, focusing on its wildlife and monitoring the biodiversity. This opportunity will also allow me to engage with local communities and community members within Casa Pueblo in Adjuntas, Piñones and Loiza in San Juan, to learn about Puerto Rico's history, resiliency, cultural practices, unique agriculture and local farming practices, and much more learning opportunities. All these fieldwork workshops are practices that I am personally really passionate about and hope to gain new hands-on skills and knowledge within the conservation field. There is something undeniable in me that is called to apply and try my best to achieve this goal in Puerto Rico. This would be a huge step I would take towards experiencing something I really believe in and have been working towards, caring for our animals, ecosystem stability and most importantly, the remembrance, and embrace of culture. Exploring and learning about Puerto Rico's natural ecosystems and culture felt like a long distant goal but now presented as an actual attainable opportunity that I wish to extend that journey with you.

I have background experience as a student studying at Rutgers University College in Camden, New Jersey for Biology, Being a Fellow Alumni of the Delaware River Watershed Fellowship for Petty's Island. Having experience as an Environmental activist I've learned so much through using art and action to combat against illegal dumping's / littering, supporting and educating about storm drains / COS systems, rain gardens, and the importance of our wildlife within Camden. While also being an active figure in community tree plantings, green space clean ups and supporting local gardens . I feel that this experience can help develop new approaches to inspire innovative community engagement and activate new project ideas that will contribute to Camden's Culture and Environmental protection.

In addition, I also have extensive experience partnering and creating amazing relationships with local organizations and community members to facilitate public art engagement such as creating Community Murals and Live Painting with We Live Here Artists Collective, Hosting an array of Community Events, Paint Days, Mental Health Awareness Days, Urban Gardening, revitalizing green spaces within North and East Camden, even hosting my First "Nature's Embrace" Project on Petty's Island- . All these projects surround themes of advancing Environmental and Social justice elevation, contributing to the change, growth, safety, identity and embrace of Camden, New Jersey.

Please Follow / Contact me @ExternalFreedom on Instagram and Priscilla Rios on Facebook for updates.

Every donation helps me get closer to this goal, and I am deeply sincerely grateful for your support and your contribution of any kind. It not only helps fund this life-changing opportunity, but it also allows me to continue advocating for environmental conservation and community engagement through the arts and education.

Thank you for believing in this cause, and being part of this journey towards achieving something that means something super important to me, for our environment, community, culture and ecosystem.