Jerson: Nuestro Neuvo Amigo

Jerson Arturo Santamaría Martínez was born on May 2nd of 1994 in Alajuela, which is one of the provinces of Costa Rica in the Central Valley. His family was the second family to ever establish in Monteverde in 1948. He is 1 of 7 siblings of which 6 are boys and 1 is a girl. He worked in his family's farm all his life working with the cattle and picking coffee. His family, especially his dad and uncles, helped spark his interest in wildlife as they took him on hikes through the forest and told him stories about the cultural and ecological history of the area. As his interest grew, he decided to attend a high school in Santa Elena for technical professions which focused on ecological tourism and conservation. After this, he went on to the Universidad Técnica Nacional in 2013 to study forestry and management of wildlife. He developed a great passion not just for conservation but also for education on the topic. He graduated from this university and received his bachelors degree a month ago. Today he is working with a local company called Union Varsan de Monteverde S.A. to focus on monitoring biodiversity, education, and sustainability.