Ever since I heard about the amazing experience known as NatureBridge from my sibling, I dreamed about the day it would finally be my turn. After watching them go off and seeing how much fun they had I’ve been even more ecstatic. Finally I was old enough and my dream was coming true.
Meet Audrey Galo, NatureBridge’s new Equity and Inclusion Director. Audrey (she/her) lives in Vallejo, CA, and embodies a rich cultural heritage as a result of growing up in Chicago with Central American roots.
NatureBridge’s Golden Gate campus is at the forefront of providing transformative marine science education through our innovative Intertidal Lab. This unique facility allows students to observe tide pool life, understand coastal ecosystems, and develop a love for environmental stewardship. For many, it’s a transformative experience that sparks a passion for science and conservation.
Sixth grade teacher Stephen Sugay knows student success requires going beyond typical coursework to include personal development and interpersonal connections. “We try to foster community building and couple that with actual learning in other subject areas,” he says. “NatureBridge helps us achieve those things.”
On May 16, we hosted our annual fundraising event, An Evening Outside with NatureBridge, at our Golden Gate campus. In classic Bay Area fashion, the fog and mist arrived as unexpected guests, but the weather did not deter us from celebrating a momentous occasion for NatureBridge: for the first time at this event, we raised over $1.1 million, which will go to directly supporting our students, our campuses, and our staff. We were awe-inspired by our Student of the Year, Kai Diaz, who shared how they felt as though they could touch the stars during their trip to NatureBridge in Yosemite, and our featured speaker Dr. Britt Wray shared incredible insights on how young people can influence the hearts and minds of their families when they bring the lessons of NatureBridge home. We want to thank everyone who was able to join and support us at Golden Gate, and we hope to see you at our next event!
“I don’t know if I’d have such a keen interest in what I do now” without experiencing NatureBridge programs as a middle schooler, says current NatureBridge staff member Dylan Meek. As a seventh grader, Dylan and her classmates from Southern California attended an environmental science program at Yosemite Institute (known today as NatureBridge Yosemite). That trip represented Dylan’s first visit to a national park and her first exposure to the field of outdoor education. Now on staff as the Lab Steward at NatureBridge Golden Gate, Dylan ensures that the environmental science educators have everything they need “to get the most out of the lab spaces” on campus.