Welcome, Armstrong Scholars Leaders!
The Armstrong Scholars program is entering into a new year of leading journeys of self discover in the wilderness. This summer, a small group of young women will gear up for a life-changing trek through the High Sierra of Yosemite National Park, guided by skilled NatureBridge educators and the momentum of their own inner power. Each step expands the legacy of Joie Armstrong that has impacted the lives of hundreds of other young women before them. Read more about Joie and past program leaders and participants from our 50 Stories for 50 Years series here:
Part 1: Roses and Thorns
Part 2: Full Circle
Part 3 : It Couldn’t be Done
Part 4: The Hummingbird
2021 Armstrong Scholars Reflections
Each step expands the legacy of Joie Armstrong that has impacted the lives of hundreds of other young women before them.NatureBridge
This year, NatureBridge is proud to welcome Armstrong educators Amanda Adams and Kaitee Levinson. Their love of the program, strong backcountry experience, social emotional learning skills and commitment to equity and inclusion will serve them and the Scholars well as they explore the High Sierra and so much more together this summer.
In their words:
My vision for the outcome of this program is for my students to feel accepted as they are and to feel that they are part of a group of powerful women. To take what they learn from the wilderness and mesh it back into their lives as women in society is a special and unique opportunity. My hope is that they find their inner power and control, that they feel confident in their abilities to reclaim struggles for themselves—that they find strength by experiencing struggle and hardship within the context of a restorative, healing experience. —Amanda Adams
My vision would be for them to simply see from a new lens because that would mean that they have grown in self-awareness, compassion and empathy. Those are the most essential in building a better future. These participants will undoubtedly learn hard skills, but the soft skills are where we need to be focusing our time and energy. My measure of success is how they understand each other from beginning to end. My vision is one of fostering a community of empathy that leads to meaningful relationships with themselves and the natural world. I think it is important to create a space for these young women to learn from each other so they can feel empowered to learn from the world around them. —Kaitee Levinson
Stories
Fall Reflections from NatureBridge Yosemite
As an environmental science educator, I spend a lot of time teaching about nature, but this season I’ve been finding that as it turns out, nature has a lot to teach us, too. Sometimes I can let the trees, the meadow, and the lichen teach for me. They show us how to respect each other’s boundaries, how to celebrate differences, how to work together, and how to lean on each other’s strengths in order to exist in a new place. These lessons felt incredibly relevant to me heading into the first week of November, a notoriously busy time at NatureBridge Yosemite. I wanted to focus on messages of kindness and inclusivity with my students, I wanted them to feel a sense of belonging in this new space, and I also hoped that they would share those messages with others.
An Incredible 10th Anniversary of Evening on the Lake
On October 25, the Amazon Meeting Center in downtown Seattle buzzed with celebratory energy as over 300 NatureBridge guests and supporters gathered for the 10th anniversary of "Evening on the Lake," our signature Pacific Northwest fundraising event for our Olympic campus.
"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."