Frequent childhood visits to Shaver’s Creek with my grandmother blazed the trail for my future career as a naturalist and educator—it is my privilege to continue the tradition of connecting people with the environment and each other.
Years at Shaver’s Creek: 2014–2026
Positions Held: Intern, Outdoor School, Block/SEED Semester, Volunteer
Current Company/Organization: The Arboretum at Penn State
Currently, I manage the volunteer program for The Arboretum at Penn State at Penn State’s University Park campus. My time at the Arboretum follows a diverse early career of internships and naturalist work that culminated in receiving a dual-title M.S. in recreation, parks, and tourism management (RPTM) and human dimensions of natural resources and the environment (HDNRE) from Penn State in 2022. Since my time as an intern, LGL, and volunteer with Shaver’s Creek, I have played a variety of roles in the outdoor education and recreation field, primarily in early childhood environmental education, research management, and visitor engagement.
I feel strongly that outdoor experiences should be rooted in equity, and pioneered the area’s first queer scouting program serving LGBTQIA+ youth using curriculum planning methods I was introduced to during my 2016 SEED Semester. The connections and resources I have gained during my time working and volunteering with Shaver’s Creek have been invaluable—and I look forward to carrying those connections forward as the Arboretum and Shaver’s Creek partner to encourage stewardship and ecological literacy in central PA and beyond!