2018 YOlympic Scholars: Frontcountry
It's been a busy but successful beginning to the second 2018 Alcoa Scholars class, which we've dubbed YOlympic! All 39 Scholars successfully flew into San Francisco International Airport on Sunday. The early arrivals spent the day exploring the coastline near the NatureBridge Golden Gate campus.
On Monday morning, our YOlympic Scholars played a few get-to-know-you games before beginning their culture shares. Scholars from Hungary taught us the Hungarian alphabet as well as different words and phrases that are common in Hungarian. Did you know that, in Hungarian, to say the phrase "The owl telling the sparrow he has a big head" is equivalent to the U.S. phrase of the "pot calling the kettle black"? The Australian Scholars shared Vegemite and delicious Carmello Koalas with the group, and the Icelandic Scholars brought shark for us to try and taught us about the 13 Santa Clauses from Icelandic national folklore.
Monday evening, 49 Alcoa Scholars and staff made NatureBridge history by being the first NatureBridge group to ever fly as part of programming. Due to the concern of worsening air quality and road closures from the Ferguson Fire in Yosemite, we decided to move this year's Yosemite Alcoa Scholars program to our campus in Olympic National Park. To make the move, the 49 staff and Scholars boarded one plane from San Francisco to Seattle. The flight went smoothly and we arrived in Seattle at 7:30 p.m.
On Tuesday, our YOlympic Scholars woke up along the shores of beautiful Lake Crescent. They spent the day doing team-building activities and exploring the forest of Barnes Point. In the afternoon, they met with Chris Morgan, Science and Education manager for NatureBridge, to learn about the different science tools available to use in the investigations they will conduct while backpacking through Olympic National Park.
Wednesday was all about preparing gear for the backpacking trip. Educators and students worked together to check personal gear (like clothing and sleeping bags), distributed group gear (like tents and food) and double-checked that all tents and stoves were in working order. That evening, they participated in one of the favorite activities of the NatureBridge Olympic campus, canoeing in our three Salish-style canoes on the lake.
On Thursday morning, the Scholars checked all their gear and departed for their trailheads. The four hiking groups will spend the next seven days backpacking through Olympic National Park.
We can't wait to hear their stories when they return!
Stories
2024 Student of the Year: Kai Diaz
At NatureBridge, we celebrate the stewards of today and foster the development of the stewards of tomorrow, working to inspire environmental stewardship in all our participants. Our goal is to motivate our students to make waves and be changemakers in their communities and for our planet.
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 a NatureBridge program. This year’s honoree will be recognized and will speak at An Evening Outside with NatureBridge on Thursday, May 16 at our Golden Gate campus.
We are thrilled to announce our 2024 Student of the Year: Kai Diaz.
An Interview with Evening Outside Keynote Speaker Dr. Britt Wray
The minute we found out about the work of Dr. Britt Wray, we knew we wanted to learn more about her. A well-respected author and scientist, Dr. Wray possesses expertise in an area of research we talk about a lot at NatureBridge—specifically how we can be resilient, hopeful, and actionable amid a changing world, including the climate crisis. We’re thrilled that Dr. Wray will be joining us on May 16 for An Evening Outside with NatureBridge as our Featured Speaker. Ahead of the event, we had the chance to ask her a few questions relating to her work and her connection to the mission of NatureBridge.
Staff Spotlight: Appreciation for Miho Aida
Miho Aida (she/they) has held multiple roles at NatureBridge over the past twenty-four years, including Environmental Science Educator, Community Connection Coordinator, Field Staff Scientist, Marine Project Coordinator, Pacific Rim Environmental Education Specialist, Armstrong Scholars Educator, Diversity Coordinator, Equity and Inclusion Manager, and Director of Equity and Inclusion. Now, on the eve of Miho's departure, we asked them to reflect on their time at NatureBridge and share a bit about their upcoming adventures.