Brave New Women hosted by Cecilia Poullain
Maria Cristina is currently working as a climate scientist at Winrock in Washington D.C.
She shares her journey in becoming a climate scientist later in life.
As a tiny child, Maria Cristina lived with her grandparents on their farm in Ecuador. This had a big impact on her life: they taught her to love nature and to take care of it.
When she left school, she studied social development in Quito then did a whole series of jobs, including working with the children of prostitutes in the middle of Quito and teaching English to professionals.
She left Ecuador soon after she graduated in order to avoid the social pressure of getting married and because she wanted to see the world.
Her first job following graduation was with the children of Central American immigrants in San Francisco. This opened her eyes to the harsh reality of their lives and set her on a search to discover why the world was so unfair. She then did a Masters degree on Sustainable Development in Peace and Conflict Studies at the UN University for Peace in Costa Rica. The contact with people from all over the world expanded her mind even further. She also started comparing Costa Rica, where people and the environment were a priority, and Ecuador, where oil money had led to corruption and the concentration of wealth in a few hands.
She talks about her time in working with the US Peace Corps and Global Citizen Year, setting up volunteer programs for young US citizens to work with the indigenous people of Ecuador.
All these experiences convinced her to become a climate scientist.
You will love listening to Maria-Cristina. Her enthusiasm, curiosity, humour and overwhelming desire to serve are infectious.
I am running a free webinar - "Women Empower Women" - on Tuesday 27 April. Check it out here: https://mailchi.mp/ac893611d578/gu7xgku6p7
You can find me on my website, on Linkedin and on the Brave New Women Facebook page.
Cecilia Poullain
Founder of Brave New Women
Coach - Empowering Women to Find their Voice
Music: Stephen Marquis www.songsta.com.au
Editing: Talal Bouroki
Cecilia Poullain
Founder of Brave New Women
Coach - Empowering Women to Find their Voice