From CAPS Intern to NASA Researcher: Taylor Simonich’s Path to Living Her Passion
“You're never going to find somebody more passionate than a young person, particularly a high schooler,” says CAPS intern alum and board member Taylor Simonich. “When I was in high school, I felt so passionately about so many things, but before CAPS, I didn't feel like I had an outlet for them. To work on something that was important to me and see the results affecting my school district, my community, my friends, my family—that type of work can help you find your calling, whether it be in the field of sustainability or engineering or medicine.”
So far, Taylor’s passion has led her to some stunning heights—most recently, a competitive 10-week NASA research program called DEVELOP.
“My team worked on the ecological conservation of oak trees in L.A. County with local partners like the L.A. County Fire Department,” Taylor says. “The gold-spotted oak borer is becoming a significant issue for oak health in Southern California, and it’s expanding into Ventura County. Our priority was testing whether we could feasibly use geographic information systems (GIS) and satellite data to assess oak tree health remotely, without sending people into the field.”
In addition to a NASA research lab in California, DEVELOP took Taylor and her team to Washington, D.C., where she was selected as project liaison and presented a highlight talk about her team’s work to NASA officials. “It was amazing to be in D.C. and give this talk to people who are high up. I was a little intimidated, but I was so glad I did it.”
Taylor credits CAPS as the starting point of the path that led from an internship in Porterville to degrees from UCLA to presenting to NASA in Washington, D.C. “Basically, in everything I’ve worked on with any sort of environmental lens, CAPS prepared me for it.”
Finding the Path
Joining CAPS as a high school student in the Porterville Unified School District gave Taylor the opportunity to do hands-on work that made her excited to show up every day and aligned with potential careers she hadn’t known about before. The internship also nurtured her love for environmentalism and an affinity for project-based work. When she applied for college, she planned to major in political science and study environmental law. But once she started at UCLA, she realized her “interest in environmental law was really about learning about the environment, not the law side.” She switched majors to environmental science, “and never looked back.”
“A lot of the things I chose to be involved with in college were project-based sustainability work; looking back, that was based on my experiences with CAPS,” Taylor says. “When you're not just getting paid, but doing hands-on projects that create actionable results in your community, it feels so much more important. That type of learning really sparked a passion in me.”
Today, as a CAPS board member, Taylor is proud to be part of a program providing young people — especially those in underfunded communities — with exposure to careers they may not have known about or considered. “While some high school students have an idea of what they want to do, a lot don't,” she says. “It's important to be able to test out what you want to pursue in college, which, in turn, is testing out whether you want to pursue a career in it. CAPS has so many good things to offer so many kinds of students.”
Mentorship & Leadership
Taylor believes that part of the power of the CAPS experience lies in its structure, which intentionally pairs leadership opportunities and mentorship, connecting interns with educators, professionals, and administrators who are ready to let students lead and hear their recommendations. “During my internship, the professionals in the school district gave us the same respect they would any other professional, which felt very cool, especially as a high schooler,” she says. “I felt like everybody was not only taking us seriously but also encouraging us.”
The mentorship Taylor experienced during her CAPS internship inspired her to explore how she could connect her passions with career opportunities. “One teacher in particular, Sara Silva, who taught my environmental sustainability class, was so supportive. I didn't know sustainability was something I could pursue as a career. After conversations with her, I realized this was what I wanted to pursue in college. Having a teacher or role model tell you that you can do something is super important.”
Finally, Taylor credits CAPS with giving her the confidence and skill to communicate, not just with those who agree with her, but with those who don’t. During her internship, “we were met with pushback from some people,” she says. “People wondered how an environmental program could make money or benefit the community. But that interaction taught me how to sell the idea of sustainability. Even if you approach it from the angle of saving money for the school district or making water or air healthier, at the end of the day, you’re still achieving a more sustainable outcome. It was important to learn that skill because everybody you interact with is going to have a different point of view.”
SUPPORT MORE STUDENTS LIKE TAYLOR! In 2026, CAPS is expanding its footprint to ten school districts across California and providing 175 paid internships to young people like Taylor. We aim to raise $58,000 by Dec. 31 to support this goal. If you want to give opportunities like those that propelled Taylor on her early career path, please consider supporting our work.