It's been over a year since I've written; I guess I must be having fun as a college student. The days certainly do fly by. There are always long lists of assignments to finish, events to attend, and people to stay in touch with. I have a habit of taking a full course load and getting involved with clubs on campus, so I tend to be rather busy. However, I do feel that I have managed to find somewhat of a balance these past two semesters.
Most weekends, I worked at the Anchorage Market and Festival |
RA bulletin boards... |
On that note, I recently began an internship with one of the graduate students in the Rubenstein School for Natural Resources and the Environment. Over the next few months, we will be fundraising, planning and organizing for an outdoor leadership program with the American University of Central Asia (AUCA) in Kyrgyzstan. In August, we will lead a two week experiential education course for nine students from the AUCA at the Ala Archa National Park, just outside of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The course will combine best practices from a variety of outdoor education programs such as Kroka, NOLS, Crow's Path, and Outward Bound in an effort to operationalize ecology and conservation. The students will be challenged to adjust to the rigors of high elevation trekking and mountaineering, establish goals to implement ecology in their daily lives, and become effective leaders in Kyrgyzstan's sustainable development.
The Eco-Leadership Project will be in Ala Archa National Park |
Needless to say, I am stoked. Being a part of a project that integrates my love of academics, experiential education and cultural exchange is truly a dream come true. Not only will I get to trek in gorgeous mountains and be immersed in a new culture, but I will also be a part of shaping the experience for the Kyrgyz students who attend. Leading breakout instruction sessions, teaching outdoors skills, and fostering students in their development as ecologically conscious citizens and leaders in the movement towards sustainable development in Kyrgyzstan, will allow me to take my passion for sustainability to the next level; I am not a participant on this expedition, but a leader.
If you would like to read more about the program, or contribute to our fundraising campaign, please visit our GoFundMe site or watch this video about the project !
Hope y'all are doing well, whoever you might be that still read this blog,
Peace, love and adventure,
Sonya
I bought my brother a plane ticket to Alaska for his fifteenth birthday | ... |
Sonya,
ReplyDeleteSounds pretty motivating there at UVM with what you are doing.
The AUCA program this summer will be fantastic. Good job making that connection. Another couple years and you should have your American Mountain Guides Assn certification and be off world wide year round.
If you haven't already, you should track down Marcus Wadlington, LUHS grad who is a senior at UVM now, he is in the Rubenstein School and spent the summer in Ecuador climbing with the Outing club, and then on his own for a month since he was down there already. Maybe he is involved with AUCA, I don't know, but you should ask him how he pulled off getting one of those grants from the Flyin Ryan foundation to help fund his travels. Oh, and don't forget to study once in a while....
Whitlock
a lot can happen in a year.
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