Meet the educators

Healthy home and garden team

Farrah Fatemi

Toxics reduction program manager
Pronouns: she/they

Farrah works to collaboratively design, implement or support programs that reduce toxic chemical exposure for residents in our region. Originally trained as a scientist, Farrah is a big picture thinker who sees how interconnected our environmental and social problems are. She is passionate about promoting equitable outcomes through programs and policies that address health disparities, such as those highlighted in Metro’s Toxics Reduction and Equity Study. Farrah also serves as chair of the equity workgroup for the Interstate Chemicals Clearinghouse, a chemicals policy organization. Before coming to Metro, she managed and coordinated environmental programs on issues such as air pollution, climate change, and water quality across the U.S. and Canada.

“I am inspired by the amazing community leaders we have in our region that are pushing for better services and outcomes for their communities.” – Farrah

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Recycling information center team

Peggy LaPoint

Waste reduction and recycling specialist
Pronouns: she/her/hers

Peggy is motivated by her desire to help others realize that all of their seemingly small actions and choices have an impact. Originally from Wisconsin, Peggy visited Portland in college and fell in love, and she’s been here ever since. With a background in communications, Peggy as spent most of her career in radio (where she still works part-time), but being in the Master Recycler Program got her thinking of ways to pursue her other passion, sustainability. Her interest in sustainability and waste reduction, and the desire to learn more about climate challenges and share that information with others is what brought Peggy to Metro.

“A great day at work is when I can have one of those `aha` conversations with a caller that drives them towards thinking about how they can make positive changes to reduce waste or find ways to eliminate toxic chemicals in their lives.” – Peggy

Liana Linhares

Waste reduction and recycling specialist
Pronouns: she/her/hers

Liana grew up in Brazil, with parents that passed on love for nature and being resourceful. She has lived in Portland for about 10 years – and now she feels she finally found her dream job as a Recycling Information Specialist with Metro. She was in the healthcare and hospitality field before, knowing she wanted to be in the business of helping people. When Liana became a Master Recycler and learned about the Recycling Information Center she was happy to have such a resource to share with friends, family and the public. Now she is happy to be a member of the team providing reliable information and customer service to greater Portland.

"In today’s fast paced world, it is very special to be able to pause and have conversations with people from the community." – Liana

Jaylen Schmitt

Waste reduction and recycling specialist
Pronouns: she/her/hers

Jaylen is motivated by her love and respect for the natural world and her desire to help others. Providing information that others may find useful in protecting the environment and creating positive change in their lives is rewarding for her. Prior to joining Metro’s Recycling Information Center, Jaylen honed her community outreach skills in non-profits. She is a Master Recycler, volunteering hundreds of hours in the Metro region and as a Green Team coordinator and sustainability advocate in Portland Public Schools and is active with the Eco-School Network and Oregon Green Schools Board of Directors.

“I really enjoy speaking with the diverse residents of our region. It’s very rewarding to provide them with knowledge they can use to take action to protect our shared environment.” – Jaylen

Jorge Turcios

Waste reduction and recycling specialist
Pronouns: he/him/his

Jorge was born in Tegucigalpa, Honduras and came to the United States in the late 1990s. This was a time of culture shock, but also opportunity for personal growth and inquiry. His new surroundings gave him a greater perspective, especially in regard to the privileges enjoyed by so many in this country. Jorge’s professional background is deeply rooted in customer service and exposure to life’s diversity has been illuminating for him in regards to economic challenges inherent in life in the 21st century. Disparity can be rampant and people of color continue to struggle to meet their most basic needs. More than a decade of work in the payday loan industry offered daily examples of the efforts to emerge from poverty and advance in dignity.

"Metro has been fundamental for my personal and professional growth since I started here in 2018. I have been learning about the garbage and recycling system, its management, and its environmental impacts. I learned that there are no small actions because they all count, and whatever an individual can do to protect our environment matters.” – Jorge

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School and community educators team

Darwin Eustaquio

Education and youth leadership manager
Pronouns: he/him/his

Darwin is driven to serve others through his belief in the power of education and social justice. From high school to graduate school, Darwin engaged youth and adults through tutoring, mentorship, and classroom teaching in various roles. After earning a degree in psychology, Darwin coordinated library-based youth development, literacy, and community programs for nearly a decade in a largely disenfranchised community in the San Francisco Bay Area. Joining Metro in 2015, he is committed to serving our region equitably and striving to amplify the voice of community, knowing that people are experts in their own lived experiences.

"I am inspired by the words of Dr. Cornel West: ‘Never forget that justice is what love looks like in public.' " – Darwin

Yaquelin Garcia Delgado

Youth leadership program coordinator
Pronouns: she/her/ella

Yaquelin comes from a large Mexican family of Purepechan descent in Michoacán. She is a first-generation college student, currently enrolled in Warner Pacific University’s professional and graduate studies program, majoring in psychology and human development, with plans to become a child therapist or counselor. At Metro, she coordinates the Waste Prevention and Environmental Services Internship Cohort Program with youth ages 17-21. As a young educator, she values youth voices from the community in her work.

"I think it’s vital to have youth voices in decision-making to transform our word into a more just place for everyone and for our planet." – Yaquelin

Jamie Repasky

Classroom educator
Pronouns: she/her/hers

Jamie is motivated to empower youth to see the wonder in all areas of science and sustainability. Originally from the Midwest, she attended the University of Miami to study marine biology, travelled abroad for a year in Australia studying kangaroo immunology, and then returned to the United States and completed a Ph.D. in human immunology at Yale University. After co-leading a team of graduate school educators Jamie was offered a job at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City as a Science Content Specialist in the Professional Development department. In this role she was challenged each week to design curriculum and lead workshops on a range of topics for kindergarten through high school educators. Prior to working at Metro, Jamie worked at two elementary schools in Portland as a Science Enrichment Educator, STEAM Coordinator, and student Green Team facilitator. In 2015, she was nominated and awarded the Sigma Xi Columbia Willamette Outstanding Science Teacher of the Year thanks to testimonials to “Dr. Jamie” from former students. At Metro, Jamie loves thinking about how sustainability curriculum can be adjusted to make it more inclusive to all students in our region. She encourages youth to speak up about environmental problems that they see in their community and challenges them to work together to come up with solutions.

“It’s not enough to just have science. Science needs to be translated into useable pieces so that it is accessible to everyone. It’s these bite-size nuggets that help people connect science to their lived experiences.” – Jamie

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Contact

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