Agoura High grad finds park work a 'necessity'

POWER RANGER-Sophia Kovanis of Agoura Hills returns from her three-month internship with the Student Conservation Association where she helped develop a Junior Ranger program to get children involved with their national parks. America's national parks bring history to life, but sometimes it's hard for parents to get their children excited when the subject of history comes up. Agoura Hills resident Sophia Kovanis, an intern with the Student Conservation Association, is an exception.

Kovanis recently took part in a three-month internship at the Fort Necessity National Battlefield in western Pennsylvania to develop a Junior Ranger program which challenges children to become more excited about their national parks.

As needs outpace budgets in the servicing of America's public lands, the efforts of the SCA volunteers have become essential. Nearly 45,000 youth have volunteered through the association since 1957. Kovanis, 22, said she wanted to make a meaningful contribution to the preservation of America's history.

"The opportunity to combine history with youth education in a fun interactive manner is what made me accept the SCA position as a Junior Ranger ambassador," Kovanis said. "I am thankful for the opportunity to be a facilitator of that important connection between children and national parks. My hope is to inspire children to get involved in protecting and conserving this nation's resources and historic centers."

During her internship Kovanis helped update the Fort Necessity Junior Ranger Program to incorporate a newly built Fort Necessity/National Road Interpretive and Education Center.

Kovanis, who grew up in Agoura Hills and went to Agoura High School, recently graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in history and minor in religious studies from Cal State Northridge. She's now attending graduate school at Cal State East Bay and hopes to teach history at the community college level.

"I have felt at home here in western Pennsylvania and am very thankful for the unique opportunity that SCA has given me. I hope to cross paths with SCA in the near future," Kovanis said.

The internship was made possible by the Junior Ranger Initiative Program, which is a partnership of the Student Conservation Association, the National Park Service and the National Park Foundation, and was made possible through the support of Ocean Spray Cranberries Inc., a National Park Foundation sponsor.

For more information about the association, call Kevin Hamilton at (603) 543-1700, ext. 185, e-mail him at khamilton@thesca.org, or visit www.theSCA.org.

For more information about Fort Necessity's and Friendship Hill's Junior Ranger programs, call (724) 329-5805.