Jaron Espinoza

Island Trails Network provided an internship opportunity through the SCA to maintain and build a new trail in a remote area known as the Saltery Cove area of Kodiak Alaska. The old ATV trails interfered with a newly discovered archeological site of the native Alutiiq people. To preserve these sites we constructed a reroute trail roughly 1/2-3/4 miles long, and assisted in maintaining trails by removing debris, filling in ruts and other tasks as needed.

• As being part of a granite install crew I was responsible for transport and handling of material to the customer
• Once on site a variety of tools, resources and skills were used to modify and put the countertops in place
• Some of these skills include blueprint reading, precise measuring, operation of power tools, heavy lifting techniques, and effective communication.

• My main responsibilities include locating vehicles, driving them on a lift and inspecting them for any sort of damage
• We would inspect the paint thickness to gauge if a part of the vehicle has been previously repaired or replaced or or is still unrepaired
• Then we would lift the vehicle into the air and check the chassis and frame rails for structural damage or corrosion that would deem the vehicle unsafe
• Once all the information was gathered I would complete a file explaining the damage, previous damage or other concerns and include an estimated cost of repairs needed to resale the vehicle
• When no vehicles were available for inspection i would assist other areas of the shop where help was needed whether it was detail, helping the porters, or the body techs.

• As a YDP I was responsible for providing youth a clean, safe and fun environment
• I would lead after school programs that enabled children to grow mentally, physically, and spiritually
• Several programs I ran were power hour, triple play, art, money matters, passport to manhood, brain games, teaching guitar, bike club and healthy habits
• These programs would assist them understand homework assignments, motivate children to get exercise in a fun way, eat healthier, develop an interest or hobby and understand different responsibilities as they get older
• After the workday with the kids we could clean the campus to get ready for the next day.

• As a CNC operator my responsibilities included locating and loading material, operations, and machine maintenance
• I would locate the material in yard and load it onto the machine with a fork lift
• Once loaded I would secure it to the table and align the material to the specifications from the program and begin cutting
• After the program finished I would label the cutouts to the blueprint from the template in preparation for the fabrication process.
• My duties in fabrication included Sawyer, polishing and tool maintenance skills
• The countertops were built up with MDF and strips from extra material and glued with a color matching epoxy
• They were then polished, trimmed and organized for installation.
• In the installation department I was responsible for the loading, handling, and transport of the countertops across the region
• Upon arrival we would piece the countertops together on a level plane and seam them together with a color matched epoxy and buff out any blemishes to the customers satisfaction.

• In the northern part of New Mexico where my family is from firewood is still a primary source of heat during the winter
• During the late summer and fall seasons I would assist family and friends to go into the woods looking for dead dry trees to fell
• We would spend the day limbing the trees, piling up the slash, blocking and loading the firewood into the trucks and trailers
• After everything is strapped down and secure, we would head home to split and stack the wood.

• In Taos I belong to a land grant and aceqias system
• Several times out of the year there are work days where the community comes together to handle issues regarding their sustainability
• Every spring the ditches fill up with trash, leaves, and slash from the runoff
• It is our responsibility to remove these obstructions to keep a steady flow of water through the community.