Sarinah has been captivated by the beauty and resilience of the natural world since her young days catching frogs and snakes in the garden and finding new specimens for her insect collection. She was born and raised in Southern California and has experienced as much diversity in cultures and people, as she has in California’s unique biomes. She has been fond of wildlife and photography well into her college days, and finally found her passion in documentary filmmaking.
Graduating with a BA in Media and Cultural Studies, Sarinah has worked for several years leading documentary workshops for high school students, as well as working as a podcast producer and editor for UCR ARTSblock, a prominent SoCal art museum. Some of her freelance work has taken her to Skid Row in Los Angeles, working with folks who are on the front lines providing aid to women and children living on the streets, all the way to New York on a Native American Reservation where current domestic and sexual violence against the tribe’s women parallels the continued abuse and destruction of sacred land, as well as in her hometown, where deaf immigrants from Central and South America seek asylum from violence and persecution with help from a local law office.
Sarinah currently works for California State Parks as a Park Interpretive Specialist, engaging with the public and inspiring stewardship for black bears and other wildlife in the Sierra Nevada through educational programming. When she’s not geeking out about bears, she loves working as a host and producer for Earth to Humans! podcast.
