Stories from the Field

For former NatureBridge (previously Yosemite Institute) educator Shirley Spencer, her career journey began with a powerful sense of place and a deep love for Yosemite National Park. Beginning with her work at Camp Wawona in the early 1980s and extending to her long tenure as a Yosemite Institute (YI) instructor and her later service as an interpretive ranger for the National Park Service (NPS), Shirley has poured her passion into introducing others to the wonders of the Sierra Nevada for over four decades. “I always felt like I wasn’t ‘the thing,’” Shirley reflects, “but I stood there and opened the window for my students” to make amazing discoveries.

NatureBridge Director of Equity and Inclusion Miho Aida (she/they) has traveled many paths in their lifetime, including the pivotal one that led them from life in the bustling urban center of Tokyo to exploring and teaching within the expansive and often unpredictable landscapes of the United States’ national parks. Navigating various roles, challenges, and discoveries over the span of two decades in the U.S., Miho has forged a unique trail—one characterized by ambition, resilience, and a profound connection to the natural world. Miho’s most recent adventure took place during the summer of 2023, as they completed a solo traverse of the entirety of the 2,650 mile-long Pacific Crest Trail (PCT)!

Growing up in western Sonoma County, CA, Anna Kennedy spent much of her childhood exploring the outdoors. But it wasn’t until her sixth grade class visited NatureBridge’s Golden Gate campus and her group embarked on their challenge hike in the Marin Headlands that Anna “had this moment of realizing I enjoy hiking!” That experience, coupled with a memorable night walk on the beach, set Anna on a path of discovery, study, and fieldwork that ultimately brought her back to NatureBridge Golden Gate in Fall 2023—as a seventh grade teacher with students of her own.