Aja Irons

Butterfly Program Coordinator 

MES Program, The Evergreen State College 

Aja (Ah-jah) was born and raised in Puyallup, Washington. She started taking piano lessons throughout elementary school and taught music lessons throughout high school. She later moved to Bellingham, Washington, to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in applied music at Western Washington University with the hopes of being a music therapist. Aja’s inherent drive to connect with people and provide skills for prospering youth led her to want to become a music therapist.  

Yet, post-college and COVID, Aja was craving a career that had a larger impact on her greater community after witnessing the environmental and social atrocities of 2020. She decided she wanted to make a career shift from music and the arts to one that focused on environmental justice. To gain more experience, she decided to join the non-profit Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association (NSEA) that focused on community outreach and salmon habitat restoration, as well as AmeriCorps, working as a conservation crew member throughout Utah.  

Aja is excited to be part of the dynamic team at SPP and bring her passion for bringing communities together through hands-on stewardship and education initiatives