UC Environmental Stewards conference opens new worlds, new careers for attendees
When Kristin Polidoro started a new job in a new field, her two grown children noticed the difference right away.
“My kids were like, ‘We’ve never seen you this happy, Mom; you’re in a good mood all the time!’” said Polidoro, a Cupertino resident. “And I was like, ‘Wow, I do feel that way!’”
After a long career in product marketing and advertising in the tech industry, she was laid off in 2024. After searching for a job throughout 2025, she eventually was able to switch to a wholly new career – thanks in large part to her California Naturalist certification, a program administered by the University of California Environmental Stewards.
For the first five months of this year, Polidoro served in a community outreach role with the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority, a public agency that conserves the environment, protects open space and supports agriculture in the area.
She tabled at events, coordinated volunteers, assisted at land stewardship activities, and liaised with the organization’s technicians and experts in natural resources. Reflecting on her 30 years of work experience, Polidoro said that it was her favorite job.
“It was the most fun job; I learned so much because I got to wear a different hat every day,” she explained.
Even with no prior experience, conference participant quickly felt at home
A key catalyst for Polidoro’s career change was the 2022 UC California Naturalist conference (the 2026 convening will happen Oct. 9–11 in Santa Barbara). A social media post promoting the event caught her attention at the right time. After spending her entire professional life in the tech sector, she had been thinking about exploring new avenues.
“As I was getting older, I started to ask myself, ‘What am I doing? Do I love this? Is this important? Does anyone care?’” Polidoro recalled. “I was doing a little bit of soul-searching.”
A lifelong outdoors enthusiast, Polidoro is an avid hiker and backpacker who volunteers regularly with a variety of conservation organizations. Seeking to learn more about the natural world, she registered for the California Naturalist conference without any previous interaction with the program.
But, from the moment she got out of her car at the 2022 conference venue by Lake Tahoe, Polidoro felt immediately at home.
“As soon as I saw someone wearing an insect-print shirt with hiking pants, I knew I was with my people!” she said.
During the conference (view highlights), she enjoyed hearing Indigenous perspectives on the land, learning about GIS technology, seeing how watersheds work, getting an introduction to prescribed burns and fire ecology, and meeting podcaster Michelle Fullner and naturalist-writer Obi Kaufmann.
“It felt very welcoming, and it was all ages – there were young people; there were older people; there were middle-aged people…but they all had this curiosity and openness about them,” Polidoro said.
Polidoro became fast friends with other attendees, including a complete stranger who became her roommate at the conference. The roommate, a retiree, wanted to brush up on her skills so she could become a docent and share the wonders of nature with her fellow community members.
And then there was the college professor from Southern California, who regularly teaches a biology class and takes her students on field excursions across the state. Her stories of exploration and discovery inspired Polidoro to look for a similar class close to home.
Six months after the conference, Polidoro was enrolled in the California Naturalist certification course offered by West Valley College in Saratoga (one of the 80 partners who deliver California Naturalist and Climate Stewards courses statewide).
California Naturalist course equips participants with skills, tools to explore nature
With most “classroom” sessions conducted online, the course provided an overview of California plants, animals and ecosystems. It culminated with a six-day camping trip down the length of the state, with stops in Death Valley and the Alabama Hills and throughout the Eastern Sierra.
“It was so cool; I cannot recommend it enough,” Polidoro said. “Everyone who wants to hear about it, I tell them probably way more than they want to hear.”
During the course, Polidoro gained more than just facts and skills like nature journaling – she got new tools and a fresh appreciation for looking closely at the world around her.
“As I went through the process, what I learned was: you’re never going to know everything; there’s a lifetime of learning that is going to happen for you – and that’s a gift,” she explained. “Before I took the course, I thought: ‘This will be it, I’ll know all the stuff….’ But no, actually the more I know, the more I realize I have no idea about anything, which is great!”
Polidoro has continued to pursue more knowledge and experiences in the natural world by volunteering. In addition to restoring habitat with Grassroots Ecology and analyzing camera trap images for a mountain lion project through Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, she has cleaned beaches with Save Our Shores and participated in “bioblitzes” with Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful.
Though her seasonal role with Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority has ended, she still volunteers with the organization and is committed to finding a new position in conservation, whether doing community outreach or working in the field.
“I'm definitely determined to find something in that realm,” Polidoro said. “I’ll do pretty much anything to be in this world.”
She will attend the upcoming UC Environmental Stewards conference to network, pursue new opportunities and reconnect with old friends. The conference, slated for Oct. 9–11, 2026 in Santa Barbara, encompasses both California Naturalists and Climate Stewards.
Polidoro encourages community members to join her – even if they have no experience with the program.
“You’re going to walk away with so much information and a new curiosity about the world around you; it’ll just open a whole new world,” she said. “And the beauty of that is if you’re like me, you’ll just talk people’s ears off about it. You’ll keep sharing the love, keep sharing that information…and that’s how we’re going to begin to take steps to save our world.”