Changing My Life through Wilderness and Outdoor Education

Standing on a sandbar on the shores of the Wisconsin River, I watched as 10 college freshmen set up tents after a long day of canoeing. As the sun set over the river and the group started to cook dinner, I had a realization: I was miserable. I had been working in a cubicle at the University of Wisconsin – Madison for the previous six years and it didn’t inspire my best work or provide personal fulfillment. Fortunately, during my time at the University, I had joined the Hoofer Outing Club and learned to canoe, kayak, cross-country ski, and appreciate the wonders of wilderness. Through this club, I helped start the Wisconsin Basecamp Outdoor Orientation Program and its inaugural canoe camping trips brought me to this spot on the sandbar where I decided to change my life.

Since that day on the river in the summer of 2006, I engaged in a process of self-discovery and believe I’ve found my true passion in life: I have a calling to educate young people in the outdoors and encourage responsible wilderness use and conservation through adventure education. I am enrolled in the Recreation – Outdoor Education major at UMD and plan to someday direct a university outdoor program or first-year trips program to express this passion and help meet the need for wilderness protection that exists in our world.

Young adults in college are at a pivotal life stage for wilderness connections. University outdoor programs, combined with social support provided by peers, can encourage students to develop an affinity for the outdoors for the first time (or further strengthen interest in the outdoors for those with previous exposure). As participants, and as leaders, I believe college students who bond with wilderness experiences become adults who hold reverence for wild spaces. Those who become parents are then more likely to impress upon their children the importance of preserving and protecting wilderness.

My own wilderness connections started with car camping as a child and with walks along the shores of Lake Michigan, when I was growing up in Chicago. Adventure though, was more likely to be an “El” train ride into downtown than a trip to the woods. It was later, as an adult in Madison, that I discovered my own conservation ethic: direct participation in outdoors activities, combined with service learning experiences, help make individuals effective stewards of wilderness. I discovered this in myself as I helped keep canoe routes clear of trash and debris with Capitol Water Trails, participated in service work with the Aldo Leopold Foundation, and led litter-removing sea kayaking trips on the Chicago River. I also came to recognize that my efforts could be more effective if I invited friends and fellow Outing Club members along and also if I participated in conservation advocacy, in addition to direct service.

I have continued this level of involvement as a student at UMD. Through volunteering with the Outdoor Program and actively engaging with other students and faculty, I’ve established a solid foundation for wilderness preservation activities. As a student leader, I will be promoting awareness of wilderness stewardship on outdoors trips, but I will also be serving as the student representative on the board of the Duluth chapter of the Izaak Walton League. I am looking forward to helping organize the Midwest Student Outdoor Educators Conference, where I can encourage other future outdoors professionals from a number of universities to think proactively about protecting our wild spaces. This summer, I am educating teenagers in outdoor skills and responsible outdoor recreation as an instructor with the North Carolina Outward Bound School and I’m strengthening my abilities to spread the importance of wilderness stewardship. These experiences serve my future career but, more importantly, they provide an opportunity for me to contribute to wilderness preservation and education right now.

Receiving the Flint Scholarship will enable me to devote time to my studies, to wilderness-related volunteering, and to promoting engagement in wilderness preservation within the campus community. Although I earned a livable salary as a full-time computer services professional, my financial future as a full-time outdoor recreation student is not yet secure. I will be working five hours a week at the Outdoor Program Rental Center, and look forward to learning about this aspect of college life at UMD, but it leaves a large gap in my ability to pay bills. Without scholarship funding, I will be seeking out another part-time job, thereby decreasing time available for building and using my wilderness education and preservation skills.

In summary, I am in a unique position as an adult student with relevant professional and life experiences and a passion for a future in outdoor education. I am hopeful that the Flint Scholarship will enable me to make the most of this opportunity to become a more effective educator and wilderness advocate. Thank you for your consideration of my application.