2026 Student of the Year: Milin Sekhon
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 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 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.
Milin is a high school sophomore from Reno, NV. Milin attended NatureBridge Yosemite with his ninth grade class in 2024. When not engaged in his studies, Milin enjoys playing the piano, adventuring outdoors, and spending time with his friends and family. Milin has always found comfort in the freedom music brings to him. Through NatureBridge, he was able to find this same feeling of exhilaration through nature. Taking time to unplug from the pressures of technology and truly appreciate the beauty of the earth created an unforgettable experience for him, one he continues to find ways to incorporate into his daily life with new practices of curiosity, presence, and reflection.
What was it like for you learning outdoors in Yosemite National Park? #
Before traveling to Yosemite, I hadn’t realized how loud my life had become. I was surrounded by social media, constant scrolling and endless notifications flooding my phone. I always felt the need to respond to notifications and keep up with the latest social media trends. Over time, I felt this pressure begin to seep into my life. Without realizing it, I began to shape my identity around what others wanted to see, almost becoming a part of this endless facade.
I went to Yosemite for a school outdoor education trip and phones were prohibited. And for the first time, everything became quiet. There was no service, no pressure to always respond, and no notifications buzzing at your fingertips. Initially, it felt unfamiliar and the deafening silence felt foreign. However, the silence also brought some clarity. I began to notice all that nature had to offer.
What made this experience so powerful wasn’t just the beauty Yosemite had to offer, but rather the new perspective I gained. Each day standing in a place so vast and timeless, I began to realize how small the digital world around me really was. The mountains did not care about followers, the trees did not seek validation, and the rivers did not rush to keep up with the latest trends.
What were some of the things you learned while at NatureBridge? #
Each day, I began to reflect on myself and ponder the simplest of things. Why do some trees feel smooth and others feel rough? Why were some rocks bigger than others? Why were some birds brown and others black? Through these questions, I reconnected with nature and understood it on a deeper level.
I learned that different bark textures were better suited for weather or against a wildfire, I learned that rocks were carefully crafted by erosion and geological processes over time, and I learned that different birds have different colors to help them adapt to their environment. Science was no longer confined to the walls of a high school classroom nor was it only found through the pages of a biology textbook. Science was happening all around me, demonstrating the careful balance of ecosystems within nature.
What was your biggest takeaway from your NatureBridge experience? #
Eventually, these questions began to morph my personality. I gradually noticed how much energy I had lost leading up to the trip. The constant pressure of keeping up and the constant time I spent seeking comfort in a lifeless digital atmosphere drained my personality and above all, drained my character. Yosemite gave me the time I needed to think and more importantly, it gave me space. This space allowed me to repaint my identity and reconnect with myself, learning that presence and curiosity are more powerful than any digital interaction.
Photo courtesy of Milin Sekhon
Stories
2026 Student of the Year: Milin Sekhon
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.
To the Last Bite: HARD CORE
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.
From the Headlands to Hawai‘i: Justin Umholtz’s Journey of Environmental Stewardship
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