“This Trip Changed My Entire Life”: Rebecca Welch and the Transformative Power of Outdoor Learning

On the trails of Yosemite, Rebecca worked hard to live up to the expectations of the NatureBridge leaders and rise to meet every challenge she encountered. But she was keenly aware of her inexperience in the outdoors, and long days of hiking proved difficult for her. During one particularly challenging hike, Rebecca remembers how compassionately her NatureBridge educators responded when they realized she was struggling: “They took my pack, rubbed my back, let me take a break and talk,” she remembers. “They made me feel like I belonged.”

That sense of belonging and encouragement has stuck with her. Rebecca now encourages others who don’t have a lot of outdoor experiences to try them with her, and it’s become her mission to introduce as many people as possible to the wonder of the natural world that she first discovered at NatureBridge. “It’s hard to pinpoint [just] one thing that I’m grateful for because I’m so grateful I got to go” on the NatureBridge trip, she says. “Had I not gone on that trip, I don’t think I would be hiking, camping [or] have so much wanderlust and adventure.”

Prior to her NatureBridge experience, Rebecca describes herself as a shy and introverted student. But something clicked for her in Yosemite. She came home bubbling with facts about wildlife and plants, eager to share with others what she’d learned at NatureBridge. She began begging her family and friends to take her hiking, exploring Northern California’s trails and parks with new eyes. She dove into nonfiction reading about ecology and the environment, and she began pursuing a deeper understanding of her natural surroundings.

Rebecca’s new-found passion was reflected in her academic performance—she scored in the top 80% nationally in ecology, a success she directly attributes to her NatureBridge experience. She later earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Simpson University. 

During college, Rebecca started working at a local preschool and fell in love with teaching. Although her original dream was to become a high school science teacher, Rebecca’s teaching career began in elementary education. (This fall, Rebecca will transition away from working at the elementary level and will begin teaching high school math in Springfield, OR.) Since 2019, she’s been inspiring young minds, and—even amidst the challenges of teaching virtually during the Covid-19 pandemic—she has remained deeply committed to bringing science and nature into her classroom.

“I still, to this day, love science, and I bring it into everything I do,” she says. Rebecca regularly organizes field trips to local parks, contacting ranger stations and park associations to create meaningful outdoor experiences for her students. “You can be in nature and really instill joy,” she says. She helps her students discover that nature is all around them—and that it’s accessible to everyone—“even inside the city,” she emphasizes. Responding to Rebecca’s enthusiasm, her young students excitedly share their own stories about wildlife and plants they’ve seen and the places they hope to explore.

Rebecca’s story is a testament to the power of outdoor education. NatureBridge didn’t just introduce her to parks and hiking—it sparked a lifelong love of science, a passion for teaching, and a mission to introduce nature and its accessibility to everyone, especially those who’ve never had the chance to experience it.

“There’s still so much that the world has to offer,” she says. “It’s not all doom and gloom. There’s still so much beauty in the world.”

Thanks to NatureBridge, Rebecca knows how to find that beauty—and how to help others do the same.

Photos courtesy of Rebecca Welch