Backyard Monkey is a TEAM contributor

“The TEAM program changed the way I see the island,” says Justin Barrios. “It taught me how to care for the place that raised me — and I want students coming up behind me to have the same opportunity.”

Hawai‘i Island’s forests reshape people. They shape careers too. Barrios, owner of the Hilo‑based land‑care and tree‑services company Backyard Monkey, says Hawai‘i Community College’s Tropical Forest Ecosystem and Agroforestry Management program offered new skills and a way to contribute to his community. His recent commitment to establish the TEAM Program Fund honors this experience and strengthens the pathway for future students.

Rooted in the program that shaped him

Barrios took several classes in the TEAM program while launching Backyard Monkey, and the experience stayed with him. He credits Program Director Orlo Steele, his instructor and now longtime collaborator, with helping him to understand the deeper work of forest stewardship.

“When students come through our program, they learn how to identify native plants and use geographic information systems,” Steele says, “but they’re also learning how to take care of Hawai‘i Island’s resources in ways that honor the place and the people who live here.”

Justin’s gift to the program highlights the program’s wider story: local students, trained by invested faculty, moving into careers supporting Hawai‘i Island’s ecosystems and communities.

Justin Barrios says Hawai‘i Community College’s Tropical Forest Ecosystem and Agroforestry Management program offered new skills and a way to contribute to his community. 

Strengthening Hawai‘i Island’s workforce

The need for skilled forestry and conservation technicians continues to grow across the state, especially on Hawai‘i Island, where agencies and land‑management organizations consistently struggle to fill positions. Steele says, “There’s a very high demand. They cannot fill all the positions coming up, and many positions are filled by people coming to Hawai‘i from outside the state, but our students, who come from all over Hawai‘i, know these islands and know the resources.”

Graduates of the TEAM program enter roles with the Department of Land and Natural Resources, the National Park Service, The Nature Conservancy, watershed partnerships, and private land‑care companies.

With demand high and recruitment competitive, accessibility is essential. As the island’s open‑admissions, affordable community college, Hawai‘i CC prepares people for careers tied to the island itself, using a curriculum grounded in local ecosystems, local culture, and local needs. Many students arrive already connected to the land through family traditions and recreational activity, and the program gives them a clear route to meaningful work at home.

Supporting students — and the program’s future

Barrios’s gift supports TEAM students through curriculum development, field‑based learning, greenhouse and nursery materials, equipment upgrades, travel for fieldwork, and summer internship stipends. These resources will help students complete their training with confidence and momentum.

Steele says student support during internships is especially meaningful. The program requires a summer field internship, and while some partner organizations offer paid placements, many do not. “It’s hard to ask students to commit to full‑time fieldwork without some kind of financial help,” Steele says. “This gift allows students to finish strong without having to choose between school and a paycheck.”

Barrios sees the gift as an investment in the island’s future, built on knowledge cultivated by the TEAM program. Backyard Monkey’s success is rooted in the training he received, and he hopes the fund will help the next generation enter the field ready to contribute.

“If you want a career that keeps your brain sharp, your body strong, and your work meaningful, arboriculture delivers,” Barrios says, “so love what you do and never stop educating yourself.”