Hobart and William Smith Colleges graduate Julia Cianflone has helped plant about 500 trees in a nature preserve during nearly two years of Peace Corps service in Paraguay.
Cianflone, a 2024 graduate, works as a community environmental promoter in a small town in southern Paraguay, where her projects have also included environmental education, recycling programs and English instruction.
The reforestation work brought Cianflone together with the local municipality and Paraguay's National Forest Institute to plant trees at a waterfall preserve. She said the project was intended to strengthen conservation while building community interest and supporting ecotourism.
“Planting trees at the waterfall preserve was significant for reforestation efforts as well as community engagement and interest,” Cianflone said.
Her Peace Corps assignment began in September 2024 and is scheduled to conclude in December. During her final months, she plans to work at a science museum before pursuing a master's degree in historic preservation.
Cianflone said she is interested in graduate programs in the United States and abroad and that the Peace Corps experience has strengthened her plans for a career in conservation.
At HWS, Cianflone earned a bachelor's degree in architectural studies, with academic interests in design, sustainability and preservation. She studied abroad in Rome and completed an internship with SKM Design in West Hartford, Connecticut.
She also participated in the colleges' Outdoor Recreation and Adventure Program and Real Estate and Design Initiative. In Paraguay, she has worked with teachers, students, farmers, elected officials and community groups on tree planting and recycling efforts.
Cianflone said she hopes residents will continue working with local organizations to plant native species after her service ends, expanding the area's reforestation work and ecotourism potential.
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