Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Halle Ann Fernandez. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Halle Ann, thanks for joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

Growing up on the East Coast going from the city to Ridgewood, NJ, a town that I always referred to as a “little dollhouse bubble”, I thought I knew who I was and at least had some idea about what I wanted to do. I recall looking at pictures of Arizona and Colorado and daydreaming about how cool it would be to head out Southwest. I struggled with traditional academia for the entirety of my high school career and didn’t have familial monetary wealth, but I had logic, so I knew that the chances of me being able to go to school outside of the local community college were slim. I graduated from Ridgewood High School in the midst of the COVID pandemic, while I was working at the local Stop & Shop grocery store. I suddenly realized that I had no idea what I wanted to do. Watching as the vast majority of my 500+ peers were getting into big name universities; I began to internally debate whether or not even leaving the state would be attainable for me. All I knew was that staying in New Jersey wasn’t going to be good for me. Somehow in the midst of my contemplation, I ended up on an email list for Prescott College, a teeny tiny liberal arts school in Prescott, Arizona. Before I knew it, I was traveling across the country with my dad to go to a school I had never heard of, in a place that I had never visited and knew nothing about- OTHER THAN that it is pronounced “pre-skitt like biscuit”. After moving me into my dorm, my dad and I were standing in downtown Prescott, when he looked at me and said, “If you need anything, mama- If you need to come back home, we’ll figure it out”. As I mentioned earlier, my family is wealthy in the sense of love and support, but not a ton in the financial department, so I KNEW I was going to make this work.

Fast forward to beginning school, Prescott College is truly a one-of-a-kind experience. Orientation is a 21-day wilderness backpacking experience, typically led by two people that you don’t know who a few years are just older than you. I had never been camping before, so this backpacking trip sounded impossible. Still, I knew that I was going to make it work. I was going to learn how to love adapting to new and uncomfortable situations. Soon after getting together all of the gear I needed for this new quest, we trotted off into Wet Beaver Canyon. There were so many times that everything in my mind was telling me that I couldn’t do it. So many times, that I felt so incapable, or behind my peers who grew up backpacking, my peers who grew up in NOLS (outdoor leadership school). I grew up in the bubble of Ridgewood, NJ, and never imagined that I would be dirtbagging it with a group of strangers and a wag bag. Going from never having gone camping to this, was an ego-shattering experience. It stripped me down of everything that I was used to and forced me to grow. It forced me to have difficult conversations, learn how to assert my boundaries, clearly communicate my needs, and proved to me that things I had always looked at as “essentials” weren’t that essential at all. Bottling up, purifying, and drinking water that came from cow tanks was a new normal. Being in a group with some people that I didn’t necessarily like and still learning to take care of one-another and look out for each other despite not being friends. I didn’t see a phone or instagram for almost a month. My 21-day backpacking experience through Wet Beaver Canyon and West Clear Creek taught me to be more human and showed me how tiny and insignificant we are in the grand scheme of things. When you realize how tiny and insignificant you are, you are forced to let loose a little more. I remember thinking that sentiment sounded so negative, when my forever friend, Alicia had shared it in our first few days of the trip. But, by the end of the trip, I understood. I could go on about this trip forever, but the greatest thing it brought me was a newfound love, and awareness of our innate connection to nature. From that day forward, I knew that I had to make opportunities in the outdoors more accessible. I didn’t know how I would do it, but I knew that it was important.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

In October of 2021, I was on facetime with my dad talking about financial aid. I was only able to go to Prescott College, because of the scholarships and grants that I was able to secure, but I needed more. Being Cuban, my dad told me that I should research scholarship opportunities for Latinas or specifically women of Cuban heritage. While I came to a dead-end of slim scholarships for Latinas, I found an article about a young woman in Arizona who was graduating from Arizona State University totally debt-free. Sounds like the dream, right? This was my official introduction to the Miss America Opportunity. I knew Miss America existed but being 5”1’ and not really growing up in pageants, it definitely didn’t seem like something that I should even look into. After looking into it more, seeing the scholarships awarded, the personal development, and that it would give me a chance to perform a talent, I was quite intrigued. I grew up in theater, and a cappella and there were no true performing arts outlets around me. I immediately reached out to the local directors of the Miss AZ competition closest to me, and I was competing for the local title within three weeks. Over the next two years, I held three local titles in the Miss America Organization. I lost so many more times than I won, but with each competition I felt myself became more capable, confident, and well spoken. This past month, I placed in the Top 10 and won the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) Award at the Miss Arizona state competition. It’s so cool that I have been able to combine my passions within education, environmental stewardship, and advocacy in one place through pageants.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I’m an Outdoor Education Leadership student with a background in Critical Psychology. Last February, my late mentor and instructor brought my class to a public charter school in Arizona that emphasizes outdoor educator. While going on a hike with a 2nd-grade class at this school, I met a little girl that changed my perspective on environmentalism as a whole. This 10-year-old little girl named Abby approached me with her arms full of garbage that she had picked up while walking. Now you have to picture this precious child, with her little backward hat, looking up at me with so much emotion in her eyes. She explained how upset the trash and debris made her and continued to explain this to myself and some of her classmates. She explained the impact this trash would have on ecosystems in their community. The other children quickly understood and began to pitch it. I filled an entire garbage bag in less than 40 minutes. and at that moment, I saw how important it is to teach children to love nature because when humans feel an emotional connection to outdoor settings, they are more likely to protect them. On the way home from this trip, I started researching outdoor ethics initiatives and how I could get involved. Within the next 24-hours, I started my own initiative, LNT (Leave No Trace) For You & Me: Inspiring the Next Generation of Environmental Stewards.
I utilized my position and platform as a titleholder within the Miss America Opportunity to promote outdoors ethics and the importance of stewardship. Through partnerships, trainings, group campouts and so many more events, I have reached over 7,000 people with LNT For You & Me.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

So many things come to mind when it comes to unlearning. I think something that has been applicable to me in every aspect of my life would be unlearning the idea that progress is linear. Our timelines and journeys all look so different. I have made the mistake of comparing where others at so many times. With that being said, I think that healthy competition and letting the success of those around you motivate and inspire you is important. I have found myself in this position so many times within the environmental education community, pageantry, and in friendships. But, comparing another person’s timeline to yours is typically not conducive to your own personal growth. Focus on yourself and what is going to work best for you through goal setting and figuring out your own vibe. Hindsight is always 20/20.

Contact Info:

• Website: N/A
• Instagram: Halleannfernandez
• Facebook: Halle Ann Fernandez
• Linkedin: halle-ann-fernandez
• Twitter: N/A
• Youtube: N/A
• Yelp: N/A
• Soundcloud: N/A
• Other: N/A

Image Credits

Leo Photo Company
Leo Production Company
Victor Moreno Photography
Sam Rice, City of Prescott, AZ
GEM Environmental NFP