ACE Alumna Member Earns National Corpsmember of the Year Award
ACE Alumna member Precious Vicente received a 2023 Corpsmember of the Year award during the organization’s Annual Conference on March 8, 2023. The award is given to those who have earned notable achievement in the conservation field and are selected through a competitive nomination and review process.
Through her position at ACE, Vicente was also a member of the Indian Youth Service Corps. Created in 2021 through the Traditional Trades Advancement Program (TTAP), the Indian Youth Service Corps is dedicated to connecting Native American youth with historic preservation projects in national parks.
“Just by being here today, I am living proof that the Indian Youth Service Corps has fulfilled its mission,” Vicente said in her acceptance speech. “I am truly honored to be an inaugural participant in the Indian Youth Services Corps program which fostered my now deep passion for conservation as well as opened up doorways for success. Without this experience, I wouldn’t be here talking with you today. On the other hand, there is a lingering sadness, and that is because it took too long for indigenous people to be included in these conversations.”
Vicente currently works as a NPS Park Ranger for the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument in Coolidge, Arizona, but she began her conservation journey by joining the TTAP through ACE in search of new opportunities and with a passion for learning about her Hopi and Akimel O’odham heritage. Through her current role as a Park Ranger at Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, she serves as a cultural resource to guests as well as staff. Vicente assists in building educational programs and tribal connections through her role with the National Park Service.
“We are incredibly proud of Precious and her contributions to conservation as she shares a tribal perspective and relays the cultural significance of historic sites such as the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument,” says ACE CEO and President Laura Herrin. “For nearly 20 years ACE has recruited, trained and inspired the next generation of land stewards and Precious is a shining example of an emerging leader who is making her mark in the conservation field.”
On behalf of everyone at ACE, we congratulate Vicente on her well deserved award, and excitedly look to all she will accomplish in the future as a leader in conservation.