TVRC Alumni Reflections - From Wyoming to Australia and Back
Time and again we hear about how the experiences at TVRC set campers up for continued adventure, personal growth and moving outside of their comfort zones for years to come. We’ve recently received a handful of stories from past campers who are sharing the adventures they find themselves on now and how they relate back to their TVRC experience.
Emma Noraian was a Trailblazer in 2015 and in the five years since her last summer here she’s adventured all over and found herself studying at U of Wisconsin in Madison and jumping at the opportunity to move across the world for the summer after her Freshman year…We’ll let Emma take it from here!
Ever since I was a TVRC camper and a Trailblazer in 2015, I’ve felt a deep connection with the natural world and have known that I want to have a positive impact on the environment. It is hard to believe that this next year will be 5 years since I was a camper. I still do my best to keep in touch with my cabin mates and I know that they are all making their positive impacts on the world. I carry the TVRC memories with me always and make sure my environmentally conscious mind, that was nurtured at camp, informs my choices every day. I am currently a sophomore at the University of Wisconsin – Madison studying Civil Engineering with a certificate in Environmental Studies. This past summer, after my freshman year, I decided to take a big leap of faith and fly across the globe to study abroad in Australia. On my way there I worried about being so far away from everything I’ve ever known but when I arrived, I was greeted with open arms and smiling faces. The School for Field Studies gave me incredible opportunities. Environmentally, I went snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef four times, I did environmental service work, I saw spiders bigger than my hand, I studied about where we lived, and I got hands on learning opportunities. Socially, I met locals, I got very close to new friends and I went skydiving with them, I danced and sang, and I lived in a fully immersive community where my comfort zone was stretched every day!
We lived in the deep rainforest of Yungaburra, Australia for a month. We stayed in cabins much like camp with students from schools across the U.S. I for one, have always loved nature but was slightly unprepared for the number and size of the Australian spiders and bugs. However, by the end of the program, I wasn’t even phased by them. They serve great ecosystem services and I’ve learned to love them. Each week we would have classroom lectures and field lectures where we were taught about our current environment in Australia. Our lectures covered Australian wildlife, rainforest ecology, and watersheds. We took field trips to different environmental features in Tropical North Queensland like waterfalls and gorges. On overnight trips we stayed on a research island and in Cairns; seeing the Great Barrier Reef which was incredible. On Orpheus Island we did a marine debris clean up and researched how the corals were doing. I had so many once in a lifetime experiences where I learned by doing.
On the day we arrived we each wrote a note to our future, end of program self. In my note I said, “I would like to believe that you forged friendships that will be long lasting and that will change you for the better. I would like to also believe that you took risks and chances that you’re proud of.” These lines I wrote stood out to me because I couldn’t be prouder of the forever friends I have made and the memories we that will last a lifetime. Everywhere I’ve been and everyone I’ve met have changed and shaped me into the person I am today. This couldn’t be truer for Australia and I couldn’t thank TVRC enough for how it forged passions I am still exploring today.
If you would like to share your story of how TVRC helped you to grow outside your comfort zone or became the jumping off point for changes in your life we'd love to hear them! Just email Whitney Oppenhuizen - woppenhuizen@tvrcamp.org your camp story!
