Despite not having an outdoorsy childhood, Brooke (she/her) has been fascinated with animals her whole life. Now she is a wildlife biologist working for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Palm Springs, California. Her responsibilities include protecting endangered species, with a focus on the Mojave Desert.

Though she enjoys various outdoor sports from snowboarding to rollerblading, rock climbing is her passion. After discovering climbing during a Wind Cave National Park Service internship in South Dakota, she continued to thrive in a supportive climbing community in California—which she says is important in enriching her outdoor life.

“It’s one thing to just go and climb by yourself, but then to go and climb with your friends, to meet new friends, and climb with a community, it is such a game changer. it just makes life that much more special.” 

While people in South Dakota were friendly, Brooke recalls feeling isolated because of the lack of racial diversity. Having grown up in California in a vibrant Asian community, she missed that sense of community and belonging. This made her value the importance of creating inclusive and diverse spaces, and she now hosts monthly Asian climbing meetups at her rock-climbing gym through Asian Climbing Collective. Through these meetups, she has fostered an Asian climbing community that has grown in number over the years and introduced many new people to the sport.

Aside from climbing, Brooke is actively involved in DEIA efforts at her job and is a member of a Regional DEIA Action Team at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. She also serves as a tribal coordinator and works closely with Tribes in Southern California.