Myrna Cadena

Big thank you to for inviting me to participate in the Latino Book and Family Fair in Oceanside last weekend. I enjoyed promoting Dr. Maurice Pitesky's new book, Dr. Cluck's Backyard Chickens, which he co-authored with Dr. Evan Adler and cartoonist Will Suckow. 🤩📚🐓

I can't wait to get my own copy. I saw firsthand how hard worked on making the book extra special. Not only is the book peer-reviewed, meaning that it was reviewed by other poultry experts, but it is also engaging with fun cartoon characters, drawings, and puns. You all know I love an egg-cellent pun. 😜🥚🐣

You can buy online from at the link below: https://anrpublications.org/search?q=dr+cluck&options%5Bprefix%5D=last&type=product

Feeling recharged and inspired after attending this year’s User Conference (UC)! It was an incredible week full of learning, connection, and community. 😊🫶🌎✨

🔹 1st pic: The geogeek in me couldn't resist this photo op. 😆
🔹 2nd pic: Women and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Social— It was great to reconnect with a familiar face I met at a previous Esri UC. Thank you for your advice, Natalia!
🔹 3rd pic: Latinx in GIS User Group Meeting— Big thank you to RomoGIS ( ) for hosting the second meetup. I left feeling empowered to uplift my community. 🇲🇽
🔹 4th pic: Black in GIS Special Intesrest Group— Grateful to Clinton Johnson from for teaching us how to introduce ourselves with intention and impact.
🔹 5th pic: Women and GIS Special Interest Group— Thank you for continuing to build such an inclusive and supportive space.
🔹 6th pic: ArcGIS: How Maps Work session— learning from Ken Field ( ) and John Nelson ( ) was an honor! I can’t wait to apply some of their tips in my next map project.

A special thank you to for continuing to support my professional development. 😊🙏🗺

Big congratulations to my best friend — now officially Dr. Alejandra Figueroa, DVM! 🎉🎓👩‍🎓🥳🎊🐾🐓🐈

I’ve had the honor of witnessing your incredible journey firsthand — from late nights spent finishing assignments to powering through tough exams — all while showing up for your family and friends with an unwavering heart.

You did it, Dr. Alejandra Figueroa!! ¡Sí se puede! 👩‍🎓📜💪🇲🇽

😎

I’m grateful to have participated in 's Media Training in Davis. The session began with an engaging presentation by and Mike Hsu on how to navigate media interviews, followed by valuable social media insights from Doralicia Garay.

We then put what we learned into practice through practice interviews. 🎬🎙🎥

The professional setup by Ethan Ireland —with lights, cameras, and rapid-fire questions—added just the right amount of pressure to simulate a real on-camera interview. I quickly realized how easy it is to get rattled under the spotlight. Moving forward, I’ll make time to rehearse with a colleague or record myself on my phone before any media interviews. I’ll also focus on clearly delivering my main messages while applying the helpful tips shared during the training.

Thank you to UC ANR for organizing this opportunity and supporting our growth as science communicators!

📸 Photo credit (first image): Doralicia Garay
📸 Photo credit (second image): Pam Kan-Rice

📽 Myrna