Announcing the 2024 Armstrong Scholars Leaders
Join us in celebrating the start of another fantastic year of Armstrong Scholars! In December we selected the educators who will be leading the charge this summer, and we are psyched to have representatives from THREE NatureBridge campuses helping to bring the magic alive: Mia Perez (Golden Gate; above left), Felicity Holmes (Olympic; above center), and Ivy Moore (Yosemite; above right). Ivy will be training and supporting the program as the Armstrong Alternate should anything go awry while Mia and Felicity lead the adventure. For a peek at what they hope to inspire, read on!
I want to carry on the legacy of the Armstrong Scholars Program. It is an amazing space for those that identify as women, and I want to be a part of that community. I want to instill in young women a sense of empowerment, confidence, and strength. Too often as a woman I have been doubted in my abilities and been made to be small. I want these women to walk away from this experience knowing that they matter and can take up space in this world. It is also my hope that their journey doesn't end with Armstrong Scholars, I hope they are able to feel that sense of wonder and opportunity I did when I first backpacked in Yosemite. Lastly, I hope they are able to share what they learned about themselves along and instill this passion into future women.Mia Perez, 2024 Armstrong Scholars Leader
I hope that participants feel “empowered” as a result of the Armstrong Scholars Program. What I mean by this is that they walk away feeling more powerful, more confident, and more able to tackle hard things. I hope my participants walk away feeling smart, feeling like enough, and feeling accepted as their authentic self. If they do not walk away feeling these things, I hope they walk away feeling like they are on the path to feeling these things. After hard experiences, I often feel ready to share about the experiences with my loved ones. I hope that my participants can feel safe enough to share that they experienced a hard thing, overcame it, and what they learned, whether they learned about agency, teamwork, or leadership.Felicity Holmes, 2024 Armstrong Scholars Leader
While I never knew Joie Armstrong, it is clear that her passionate spirit has impacted the lives of many. My hope for participants is that by the end of their program, they too will feel impacted by Joie Armstrong in that they will be inspired to approach life with the same enthusiasm and curiosity that she possessed. I hope that participants will feel pride in what they have accomplished, but more so, I hope that they will feel the power, love, and trust of the community they have cultivated through the program.Ivy Moore, 2024 Armstrong Scholars Leader
Stories
In Memory of Ty Cobb: A Visionary Leader of Resilience and Impact
Ty Cobb, former CEO of Yosemite National Institutes (now NatureBridge), passed away on Saturday, December 7, 2024 in Reno at the age of 84. Known for his visionary leadership, resilience, and ability to inspire collaboration, Ty guided YNI through some of its most difficult moments while building a foundation for its future growth and success.
WildLink November 2024: Woodlake High School
This November, Woodlake High School students and chaperones arrived in Yosemite for their first year as a WildLink school, and we are so excited to have them on the team! That means that the brave students who signed up for this expedition had virtually no idea what to expect before signing up for the trip, because none of their peers had experienced it before them! The week, although quite frigid, was full of lovely views, learning about Wilderness, spending lots of time by the river, and enjoying the beauty of Yosemite Valley and Wilderness. Their educators Sarah and Amelia were excited to help this group feel a sense of belonging in this place. They were also lucky enough to be joined by Ranger Lissie on their first day in the Wilderness!
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.