Alumni Community
Your NatureBridge experience doesn’t end after your program—it’s just the start of a lifelong connection! Through our Alumni community, you can stay linked to the inspiring community of NatureBridge graduates, educators, staff, and families who share your passion for the environment. Reconnect with nature and each other through alumni events, outdoor adventures, and ongoing learning opportunities. Plus, explore ways to network with fellow alumni in your area and beyond. Together, we can continue to build a community dedicated to stewardship and a love for the natural world.
Alumni Quotes
For me, NatureBridge was a life changing experience. I will always look back at the wonderful memories that NatureBridge has given me.
Reflecting on my time at NatureBridge, I realize it has become a repository of core memories. These are the moments that define my journey, serving as beacons of joy and inspiration. I cherish each memory created during my stays and eagerly anticipate the prospect of returning in the years to come. NatureBridge has woven itself into the fabric of my life, and I eagerly await the next chapter of adventure and discovery it holds.
Because of NatureBridge, I was able to see people like myself outdoors… Being in Yosemite solidified my decision for my future career path… I wish to inspire, teach, and instill the love and care I have for the great outdoors on to future generations.
Although it was only one week out of the hundreds of weeks I have lived, the ripple it created grew into a wave that I will never forget. Thank you so much, Nature Bridge, for this memory. I will remember it forever.
For once, I got to experience what being a scientist is like, and it was something I could see myself doing in the future. This was definitely one of the major highlights of my trip, and something I will remember for a long time.
NatureBridge has given me [the opporuntity] to make a positive impact on others lives and the environment and how I can help make a difference in preserving our natural world.
Thank you Nature Bridge for the wonderful experience and lessons you provided me in such a short span of time!
Through NatureBridge, students like me are guided through our overwhelming, interconnected environment, facing the harsh realities of our changing world while being motivated towards positive climate action.
Alumni Stories
Blog Posts
"Science became fun" at NatureBridge for Alum Laura Lomeli Russert
Laura Lomeli Russert is a NatureBridge alum who grew up in Groveland, CA and now calls Washington, D.C. home. Laura’s journey with NatureBridge began when she attended the Golden Gate campus as a young student with her class from Tenaya Elementary. Laura credits NatureBridge with shaping not only her love for nature but also her passion for education and science. "Science became fun,” she recalls. “You weren’t learning from a textbook anymore, and it became so much more real." Her hands-on, scientific experiences at NatureBridge laid the foundation for her eventual pursuit of a Ph.D. in psychology. “I feel like I owe a lot to NatureBridge."
Alumni Spotlight: Alma McKenry
In April 1985, a group of seventh graders from Vallejo Junior High School embarked on an unforgettable educational trip to NatureBridge Yosemite, then known as the Yosemite Institute. As part of the school’s Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) program, these students experienced outdoor science education, thanks to several dedicated teachers who believed in the value of connecting students with nature. For Alma McKenry, a city kid from Vallejo, CA, the trip to Yosemite felt like stepping into the great unknown.
Staff Spotlight: Sam Matlock
Sam Matlock (she/they), former NatureBridge student and current Coastal Camp staff member, has come full circle in their journey with NatureBridge. Growing up in the heart of the Sierra Nevada mountains in Mariposa, CA, Sam has always had a passion for spending time outdoors and for exploring the natural world. Their eighth grade class trip to NatureBridge Yosemite planted a seed for what a career in outdoor education could look like. Now a Coastal Camp counselor spending the summer at NatureBridge Golden Gate in the Marin Headlands, Sam marvels at the amazing ways in which their path has led them back to NatureBridge. Sam’s story is an inspiring testament to the lasting impact NatureBridge makes on its students and educators alike.