Meet the Team!
Kyla Pearce
I'm a senior studying journalism, sustainability and film production at Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School and Barrett, the Honors College. I grew up in Grand Canyon National Park, thus starting my adventure as an outdoorswoman at a very young age. I love hiking, backpacking, camping and any activity that gets me outside exploring. I've hiked my way through Grand Canyon and across Arizona and plan to someday thru-hike the Arizona Trail. As an environmental journalist, I'm passionate about the role of environmental education in sustainability. Outdoor inclusivity and social justice are fundamental to the preservation of the natural world and the future of climate change. I am also a crappy Jetboil instant coffee enthusiast, big believer in hiking poles, and that one friend on every hiking trip who brings a camera and takes photos of everything.
I'm a senior studying journalism, sustainability and film production at Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School and Barrett, the Honors College. I grew up in Grand Canyon National Park, thus starting my adventure as an outdoorswoman at a very young age. I love hiking, backpacking, camping and any activity that gets me outside exploring. I've hiked my way through Grand Canyon and across Arizona and plan to someday thru-hike the Arizona Trail. As an environmental journalist, I'm passionate about the role of environmental education in sustainability. Outdoor inclusivity and social justice are fundamental to the preservation of the natural world and the future of climate change. I am also a crappy Jetboil instant coffee enthusiast, big believer in hiking poles, and that one friend on every hiking trip who brings a camera and takes photos of everything.
Ariella Nardizzi
From Nahant, MA, I'm a senior studying journalism and global studies at ASU's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication and Barrett, the Honors College. Though I grew up by the ocean, I've always felt an inexplicable draw to the mountains and discovered my passion for the outdoors in college. After living in Glacier National Park for two summers, I've come to love hiking, rock climbing, backpacking, camping, and bagging peaks. As an aspiring adventure journalist and photographer with an unfettered curiosity for new experiences and unique cultures, I've turned to creative storytelling as an outlet for all my adventures, emphasizing the importance of gender equality and female empowerment in the great outdoors. I am always in search of Type II fun, pride myself in my campfire-cooked quesadillas, and have an ever-growing collection of plants.
From Nahant, MA, I'm a senior studying journalism and global studies at ASU's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication and Barrett, the Honors College. Though I grew up by the ocean, I've always felt an inexplicable draw to the mountains and discovered my passion for the outdoors in college. After living in Glacier National Park for two summers, I've come to love hiking, rock climbing, backpacking, camping, and bagging peaks. As an aspiring adventure journalist and photographer with an unfettered curiosity for new experiences and unique cultures, I've turned to creative storytelling as an outlet for all my adventures, emphasizing the importance of gender equality and female empowerment in the great outdoors. I am always in search of Type II fun, pride myself in my campfire-cooked quesadillas, and have an ever-growing collection of plants.
Fernanda Santos
I’m an immigrant, mother and writer who believes in the transformative power of a well-told story. I write about the Southwest as a contributing columnist for The Washington Post and teach narrative journalism at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at ASU, a job I’ve been doing since 2017 after a long career in newspapers, including 12 years at The New York Times. I learned to fight wildfires while researching my first book, “The Fire Line: The Story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots,” and grew to respect the ruggedness and resiliency of the desert. I was born and raised by the ocean in Brazil, though I’ve learned to love hiking since moving to Arizona. On weekends, you’re likely to find me listening to New Order and The Smiths on my headphones while exploring the trails at the Phoenix Mountains Preserve, my backyard.
I’m an immigrant, mother and writer who believes in the transformative power of a well-told story. I write about the Southwest as a contributing columnist for The Washington Post and teach narrative journalism at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at ASU, a job I’ve been doing since 2017 after a long career in newspapers, including 12 years at The New York Times. I learned to fight wildfires while researching my first book, “The Fire Line: The Story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots,” and grew to respect the ruggedness and resiliency of the desert. I was born and raised by the ocean in Brazil, though I’ve learned to love hiking since moving to Arizona. On weekends, you’re likely to find me listening to New Order and The Smiths on my headphones while exploring the trails at the Phoenix Mountains Preserve, my backyard.
Sadie Babits
I am a public media journalist, editor and educator based in Phoenix, Arizona. As a professor of practice at Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, I'm the sustainability director in the Cronkite News/Arizona PBS newsroom. I am also the president of the Society of Environmental Journalists and a recipient of the prestigious Ted Scripps Fellowship in Environmental Reporting. Previously I was the News Director at Colorado Public Radio, and my stories have aired on NPR shows including Morning Edition and All Things Considered. I have reported from Kenya, Israel and many places in between, but my heart is in the West. I love to hike, climb fourteeners in the Rocky Mountains, and mountain bike far distances. Occasionally I repel into the unknown. I'm known for geeking out over bird calls and identifying random plants, and am often heard saying, “Let’s go just a little bit further,” when out adventuring.
I am a public media journalist, editor and educator based in Phoenix, Arizona. As a professor of practice at Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, I'm the sustainability director in the Cronkite News/Arizona PBS newsroom. I am also the president of the Society of Environmental Journalists and a recipient of the prestigious Ted Scripps Fellowship in Environmental Reporting. Previously I was the News Director at Colorado Public Radio, and my stories have aired on NPR shows including Morning Edition and All Things Considered. I have reported from Kenya, Israel and many places in between, but my heart is in the West. I love to hike, climb fourteeners in the Rocky Mountains, and mountain bike far distances. Occasionally I repel into the unknown. I'm known for geeking out over bird calls and identifying random plants, and am often heard saying, “Let’s go just a little bit further,” when out adventuring.
A Friendship Forged on the Trail
On February 3, 2018 in a restaurant parking lot in Tempe, Arizona, a group of Arizona State University Outdoor Club (AOC) members gathered with backpacks and excited grins for a sunset hike up Sunrise Peak in the McDowell Mountains. Two of those eager hikers were Kyla and Ariella, both new to the club. Anxious about making friends, but ready with cameras around their necks, the two embraced this chance for a new adventure.
As they trekked up the mountain, the two struck up a conversation and very quickly realized they shared much in common, from an insatiable love for the outdoors to a shared goal of someday thru-hiking the PCT. The bonding continued through the trip, both women realizing the uniqueness of their new friendship. To this day, they still fondly recall when they almost got locked in the parking lot after the hike.
Since then, Kyla and Ariella have cultivated a friendship that has thrived throughout their four years at ASU, taking them all over southern Arizona and even to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back! When it came time to collaborate on a thesis project, their partnership was an obvious one.
As they trekked up the mountain, the two struck up a conversation and very quickly realized they shared much in common, from an insatiable love for the outdoors to a shared goal of someday thru-hiking the PCT. The bonding continued through the trip, both women realizing the uniqueness of their new friendship. To this day, they still fondly recall when they almost got locked in the parking lot after the hike.
Since then, Kyla and Ariella have cultivated a friendship that has thrived throughout their four years at ASU, taking them all over southern Arizona and even to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back! When it came time to collaborate on a thesis project, their partnership was an obvious one.