Meet our first Eleanor Sterling Communications Fellow: Amariah Thomas!

Island Conservation recently welcomed an incredibly talented communications specialist onto our team! Amariah Thomas has taken the lead on our social media channels working remotely from Columbus, Ohio. In this interview, she discusses where she’s come from, what inspired her to work in conservation, and her dream of relaxing on beautiful pink sand!  

Could you tell us a bit about your early years?

I was born in Columbus, Ohio and lived with my mom and dad and, later, my brother who is two years younger than me. I changed schools a lot when I was younger. In fifth grade I officially moved to Gahanna, Ohio and went on to graduate from Gahanna Lincoln High School in 2018. At school I ran track, which is a great passion for me, and also discovered a love of creative expression. I was an actress, a dancer, and I wrote my own spoken-word poems and performed those in front of huge crowds!

What were your goals after high school?

I officially signed my National Letter of Intent in my senior year to pursue my academic and athletic career at Pennsylvania State University. This was the most amazing day! I had everyone that I love in the room to witness me take the first step to pursuing a dream I’d had since I started running at six years old. At Penn State I served as a Veteran Leader for the Athletic Director’s Leadership Institute, an intern for Penn State Intercollegiate Athletic Marketing, a member of the Nation Council for Negro Women, and the Head of Branding/Marketing as well as Treasurer for the Penn State Black Student Athletes Association. 

What is your relationship with nature?

I found a connection to nature through my boyfriend! He showed me how to engage with the outdoors by taking walks in the park, fishing, trying new sports and so on. I started to take notice of the many types of trees, flowers, birds, animals, insects, and many other things that I had always overlooked. After that, I decided to challenge myself in this area by working as a Social Media Specialist for ClearWater Conservancy, which focuses on preserving natural resources and introducing the community to all the beauty that nature holds. 

What inspired you to work with Island Conservation?

I found so much beauty in connecting with my surroundings that I grew eager to expand my knowledge of conservation. I hadn’t been exposed to stories about animals and plants on islands and wasn’t aware that removing invasive species played such an important role. This sparked my curiosity in Island Conservation and understanding how everything in nature is connected.

What do you like about working in social media?

I have always thought of social media as a form of expression through creativity. Whether it’s promoting fashion, food, a business, or a nonprofit, relaying information in a creative way has always been intriguing and a great challenge for me. In an increasingly digital world, social media has become essential for almost every organization. And I love that!

Where would you like to travel to if you could go anywhere and do anything?

I recently posted a video of the Seychelles to Island Conservation’s Instagram and it captivated me! There’s a beach called Anse Source D’Argent on La Digue island which is famous for its pink sand. How cool would it be to see pink sand?! 

What’s a fun fact about you that would surprise us?

I really enjoy painting in my free time. I have created a few paintings that I like to say are my personal “masterpieces.” I want to get into textured wall art soon as well! I also enjoy watching documentaries over any other TV shows because I love to learn.

Amariah’s painting entitled “Day and Night”.

Anything else you’d like people to know about?

Island Conservation is doing incredible work and you should all follow us on social media! I can’t wait to see where we go next.

You can see Amariah at work by following Island Conservation on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn!

The Eleanor Sterling BIPOC Communications Fellowship is in honor of Island Conservation’s Board of Director’s alumni Dr. Eleanor Sterling and her commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion throughout her work and her life.

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