Hello! My name is Leah Acevedo, and I was born in Miami, Florida. Growing up, I always loved the outdoors. I loved going to the beach with my family or spending an entire day at the park. My favorite days were spent kayaking in the ocean or riding my bike through my neighborhood. I was always stunned by how beautiful Florida can be in its natural landscape, and how amazing it would be to learn more about it. Throughout my childhood, I became very connected to the environment, and I knew that I wanted to study something related to that field so that I could protect it. I decided to study Environmental Science at the University of Florida, and I am on the pre-law track. I just finished my first year, and I am looking forward to more years to come so I can expand my knowledge. I am also the recipient of the UF/IFAS Extension Internship Program. For my internship, I will be focusing on teaching 4-H programs about environmental sciences, including the Learn, Grow, Eat, Go program.
I am passionate about giving back to the community and being able to help others. Some volunteer work that I have done was being a summer camp counselor at my old elementary school, where I would organize fun activities for the kids and help them with their summer homework. It was a rewarding and great experience to give those kids an exciting and engaging summer. I have also volunteered at my local library, which allowed me to help community members directly to get the information they needed, whether it was a book for their kid or a textbook for a class. Volunteering there gave me valuable skills in organization and teamwork since I worked together with my fellow volunteers to make sure all materials were placed in their correct spots. For hobbies, I am an avid reader and love all things fantasy, mystery, and romance. I also love watching old rom coms with my mom and going to the beach. I love playing sports, especially softball and volleyball, as well as playing video games with my brothers.
I hope to learn how to become a better communicator for my community so I can deliver lessons effectively to youth and develop my public speaking skills. I hope to become an environmental lawyer in the future, so I want to build connections with my community and create strong communication skills that will help me in my career. I want to encourage and inspire youth to develop new life skills that will help them in the future to become capable and determined citizens. I want youth to feel empowered and build their curiosity for the world around them, and hopefully feel inspired to care about our environment!
Leah joins the team to support the 4-H environmental sciences programs.
ABOUT FLORIDA 4-H
4-H is the youth development program of the land-grant university system and Cooperative Extension System. The program provides hands-on educational programs and experiences for youth ages 5 to 18 with the objective of developing youth as individuals, and as responsible and productive citizens. In Florida, 4-H is administered by University of Florida/IFAS Extension and Florida A&M University.
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