Please welcome the newest Coastal Conservation Technician to join us in High Island this season – Kayla Kutka! Kayla is from Westchester, New York and graduated from Binghamton University with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science: Ecosystems. Her interest in birds began when taking her first ornithology class and has only grown since. Kayla loves the outdoors and already had an athletic background (fun fact: she spent a brief period of time as a boxing trainer), so she spent most of her time working with Binghamton’s Campus Recreation program where she was able to bird watch on shifts. Before coming to word with Birds Houston, Kayla spent the last 13 months as a Habitat Restoration Volunteer on Kure Atoll in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands where her love for birds bloomed, thanks to previous Coastal Conservation Technician, Nick Minnich! Now that Kayla is back on the mainland, she’s super excited to continue learning more about birds with us at High Island.
1. What was your first experience connecting to nature (that you can remember)?
Growing up, I was fortunate enough to have a lake house in the Pennsylvania Poconos. My sister and I spent our summer weekends at the lake, hunting for frogs and turtles and getting muddy on our little dirt road. I think this is where my love for nature began and it is something I will never take for granted.
2. What is your favorite book to read?
I’ve always been a massive Stephen King fan and have read quite a few of his works. His first book I read was It and that’s where I got my senior quote from. My favorite King books would probably be the Tommyknockers, Insomnia, and The Stand (which I hope to reread soon). Some of my comfort books are the Maze Runner series and the Hunger Games series which always transport me back to middle school. I’m currently reading Eye of the Albatross having just been in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and would highly recommend it for anyone looking to learn about Albatross and field seasons in the NWHI.
3. What was your favorite subject in school?
I was always the math whiz in my school, not even joking, from 1st-12th grade. Math always came super easy to me, even earning me the nickname Kayla the Calculator in middle school when we first started learning algebra. I always tell people that in a different timeline where Covid did not happen, I would have gone to college for engineering (but that is a longer story for another day).
4. What celebrity would you like to meet for a cup of coffee?
If I could meet any celebrity it would be prime Matt Damon, specifically in his Good Will Hunting era. I don’t think I have to explain further.
5. What makes you laugh the most?
My friends and family easily make me laugh the most. I feel bad that I left them for Kure Atoll, but I still cherish every moment we get to spend together. My sister Katrina is one of the funniest people I know despite us being on completely opposite career paths (she’s currently a fashion marketing major). I cannot wait for my friends and family to visit so I can introduce them to the birds I am lucky enough to see.
6. What is your favorite game or sport to watch and play?
My favorite sports are baseball and softball, both of which I grew up playing. In college, I helped start our school’s first Competitive Fastpitch Softball Club team and later became President. My main position is Catcher, which I always thought was a flex, especially when playing baseball with the boys in middle school. At home, I watch a lot of baseball. Sadly I am a New York Mets fan, but I still enjoy going to the games with my friends.
