All throughout my time at Penn State, I found myself drawn to Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center. Whenever I was stressed, needed a place to study, or just wanted to discover something new, I came to these woods. During my senior year, I took a leap of faith to set aside my classes for a whole week and spent my time as a counselor with 4th- through 6th-grade students at Shaver’s Creek’s overnight science camp, Outdoor School. We collected acorns to create a forest in their school yard, invented imaginary friends to ward off homesickness, and jumped in the stream looking for water bugs. And as I was crying and waving goodbye to my campers, I knew I wanted to be a teacher. But I didn’t know where to start.

And truthfully, after graduating, I wasn’t really ready to be an adult quite yet either. The transition was too big and terrifying in my head. So I did what I’ve always done and I turned to Penn State’s environmental center. That summer, I was offered the position as an environmental education intern, where not only would I gain experience on how to engage with students of ALL ages but also how to be a good person as I enter the unknown of what being an adult means.

Here is a very short list of what I’ve learned over the last 10 months:

Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center has meant so much to me throughout my college career and the year coming out of it. I’ve tried a lot of new things and did things I never thought I would be given the opportunity to experience. I cannot express how grateful I am for this community. Thank you all for everything.

If you’re ever in town, please stop by. Walk the trails. Come visit the herps and birds. Say hi to the people behind the desk. They’re the kindest people I know.