From good friends to beautiful setting to spreading the love of environmental learning, I wouldn’t trade my time at Shaver’s Creek for anything.
Years at Shaver’s Creek: 2006–2007
Positions Held: Intern, Outdoor School, Volunteer
Current Company/Organization: Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department
After Shaver’s Creek, I moved to New Hampshire and got a master’s degree at UNH, then worked for the Fish and Wildlife Service for a few years before moving to Vermont. It was at Shaver’s Creek that I really learned to come out of my shell and be myself. Doing bird of prey and reptile presentations for people really helped me with public speaking, a skill that I called on a lot in grad school and in my current job. A big part of my job is recovering the spiny softshell turtle, a unique turtle that lives in Lake Champlain. That means sometimes in late summer, my office is full of tubs of baby turtles, so even taking care of the herps at Shaver’s Creek was preparing me for my future, even though I didn’t know it then. There are still certain songs that immediately take me back to thawing baby chicks in the sink, or painting the kitchen in the Roost. I’ll never forget Shaver’s Creek.