2018 Shenandoah Alcoa Scholars: By the Numbers

Each year, NatureBridge honors a student who has demonstrated leadership, growth, and a commitment to protecting our natural world as a result of their participation in one of our environmental science programs. This year’s honoree will be recognized and will speak at An Evening with NatureBridge, which will be held on Thursday, May 7 in San Francisco, CA. We are thrilled to announce our 2026 Student of the Year: Milin Sekhon.

The "Hard Core" challenge didn’t originate at NatureBridge. Plenty of outdoor education programs have passed around the same challenge. But something about it rooted itself deeply in Yosemite Valley—especially in the years after the pandemic, when rebuilding connection and culture mattered more than ever. And sometimes that’s how stewardship begins—not with a grand gesture, but with an apple eaten to the core.

For Justin Umholtz, environmental education is about more than teaching science. It builds belonging, invites students into stewardship, and helps them see how they fit into something larger. From the Marin Headlands as a student to Hawai‘i as an educator, his journey reflects the lasting power of experiencing the wonder of wild places.