CURRICULUM VITAE
Kayla Carrington
Enthusiastic and dependable human being with a warm and outgoing personality. Hardworking, quick to comprehend, and inherently motivated leader with strong organizational and prioritization abilities. Intersecting art, activism, and environmental psychology to fuel an ongoing endeavor to work with community, children, and the environment in a healthy and active way.
University of Washington, Seattle Class of 2018 GPA 3.7 Cum Laude
Bachelor of Arts: Environmental Studies with Departmental Honors
Bachelor of Arts: Community, Environment, and Planning (CEP)
Minor: Education, Learning, and Society
September 2022 – Present
Lead Teacher Northeast LA Forest School
Los Angeles, CA
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Design and implement year-round outdoor curriculum, preparing over 50 students for kindergarten.Work closely with families, site supervisor, and associate teachers to ensure classroom environment aligns with program objectives & expectations. Maintain detailed daily records, conduct seasonal parent-teacher conferences, and produce weekly blogs with captioned photos, educational highlights, and student updates.
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Write letters of recommendation, helping over a dozen families get into their top elementary schools.
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Conduct daily site evaluations to ensure environmental safety in the outdoor classroom, reporting on local weather, ground conditions, and wildlife to park officials & administration.
Spring 2020-Present
Environmental Program Director: New Growth
Seattle, WA & Los Angeles, CA
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Launched & managed a private tutoring business, providing in-person environmental education for small pods of students.
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Promoted services across King County through community networks, serving high-profile families with discretion and professionalism.
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Oversaw contracts, waivers, finances, and administrative tasks to ensure seamless operations.
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Adhered to CDC guidelines, maintaining a 0% COVID-19 case rate throughout the program.
July 2023, July 2024
Keynote Speaker: Audubon Seabird Institute
Hog Island, ME
Facilitated workshops for 80+ environmental educators, highlighting best practices in the field. Presented original research on environmental psychology and breathwork techniques for kids.
Summer 2019, 2020, & 2021
Field Ecology Instructor: University of WA
Led ecological field trips for 20+ schools, teaching ~500 students about plant systems, forest ecology, and wetland environments through interactive programming.
Fall 2019-Spring 2020
Dance Collective: Purple Lemonade
As I work to progress my musical act, dancing at Velocity Dance Center with a Seattle POC, queer dance collective was an essential part of my growth. We had three performances every season, and continue to work together on internal projects.
Summer 2019
European Tour: Ten Man Brass Band
As a kickoff to our international tours, the Ten Man Brass Band spent a month visiting cities in Iceland, the Netherlands, France, and Spain. There, we played at weekend-long festivals, indoor music venues, and on the street for money. I was with Seattle's Ten Man Brass Band from 2018-2019 before switching my focus to my own music.
Winter & Spring 2019
Debut EP: Saxophone and Rap
I spent two seasons creating an R&B album from start to finish with the intention of spreading awareness and empathy towards our environmental crisis. I worked alone and with a team of producers to bring Environmental Studies to completion. On the album, I play saxophone, rap, and sing.
Fall 2018
Fiddleheads Forest School (FFS) Instructor
UW Arboretum: Seattle, WA
The all-outdoor forest preschool at the UW Arboretum hired me as an assistant teacher for the Trillium classroom. Rain or shine, we guided daily observation and experimentation on an individual and group level. Our mission was to foster a love of science as well as social and emotional development and self-regulation.
Spring 2018
Each Step In.
Authored and Self-Published Poetry Book
The 60-page book, written by me, centers on the intergenerational environmental anxiety that today's youngest generations face. Through rhyming poetics and digital drawings, I articulate how leaving art and emotion out of climate change politics can cause these anxieties to dominate current times.
Fall 2017
Sustainability and Environmental Action
SIT Study Abroad: Australia
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Spent a semester abroad in Australia studying environmental activist methodology and applications. Learned how to lead and organize protests, how to communicate with people with differing views, and how to practice mindfulness in nature to maintain level-headedness.
Fall 2016-Spring 2018
Research Associate: Human Interactions with Nature & Technological Systems (HINTS)
University of Washington, Seattle
Assisted with undergraduate research at the nationally recognized Fiddleheads Forest School, contributing to studies on outdoor education methodology and its ecological and psychological impacts.
Fall 2016-Spring 2017
Fiddleheads Forest School (FFS) Intern
UW Arboretum: Seattle, WA
Interned at FFS, an all-outdoor forest preschool, since the beginning of the 2016 school year. My role there began with two days of my week, every week, teaching how to steward the earth and learning from the 3-5 year olds' constant curiosity. By Fall 2018, I became a full time assistant instructor.
Summer 2016
Islandwood Intern
Bainbridge Island, WA
Spent the summer in the woods on Bainbridge Island and was paired up with an instructor who took me in as their mentee. Together we ran day camps ranging anywhere from pre-k to ninth grade. Sixteen of us interns and mentors lived together in cabins just off the Islandwood campus for six weeks.
