Kika Kielpinska (She, Her), grew up in Skamania County, returned off and on throughout adulthood, and is now raising her daughter here.

She loves being close to both the land and the community — living somewhere small enough to know one another, shape the shared world, and stay deeply connected to nature.

Kika is a co-founder of Skamania Kids & Youth and serves as a Project Guide. She was inspired to help create the organization alongside local youth who, like her as a teenager, dreamed of having a Teen Center. Sharing that dream made her believe it could become a reality.

She hopes the next generation discovers their strengths and becomes empowered agents of change — on behalf of themselves, their communities, and the larger world.