I can’t believe it is already my fourth and final year at
Prescott College. I came here as a wide-eyed 18 year old knowing I was here to
study the environment because it was fascinating, and knowing little more about
it. Looking back and becoming nostalgic about my experiences here, I’ve decided
to post about just one amazing opportunity I had through school. During my
second year here at Prescott College, I applied for a CIEL exchange semester at
New College of Florida. It’s always hard to leave friends and community in
Prescott, but I saw the CIEL exchange program as an opportunity I couldn’t pass
up. I couldn’t believe it when I looked at the extensive list of schools I
could go to for a semester. It was hard to pick just one, but I settled on New
College of Florida for an adventure in an entirely different ecosystem.
This experience began with a cross country road trip from AZ
to FL with two friends, a big pot of pasta salad, and a ’95 Honda accord.
Seeing the dramatic landscapes across the west and the gradual change to
subtropical forest gave me a true understanding of the multitude of ecosystems
in the southern US. After a long and epic journey we arrived in beautiful
Sarasota, Florida, and jumped straight into the ocean.
I instantly met a few other students on CIEL exchanges from
schools around the US. It seemed that each person in the exchange felt pride
about their school, but needed to escape for a semester (an issue I didn’t have
since I’d already spent a semester in Kino and both blocks in the field), and
we all immediately bonded. The coolest class I took in Florida was called
Eumycetozoans, or slime molds, in which we surveyed a maritime forest. If you
don’t know what slime molds are look them up! They are amazing organisms!
I decided to stay for the summer before returning west, and got
two internships in town. The first was working as a beach bird monitor for
Audubon Society. I was given training on how to spot nests, chicks, and to put
up signs in the area to educate beach-goers about these threatened
species. My species of interest were
snowy plovers, black skimmers, and least terns. I also had an internship with
Sierra Club working on a Clean Water Campaign. I organized a Water Sentinels
program in which I trained local volunteers in checking the water quality of
water bodies in their neighborhoods.
In August I returned to Prescott and to the friends I had
missed. I recommend a CIEL exchange to everyone because there are adventures to
be had everywhere, especially if you can get credit for them!
--Avery
No comments:
Post a Comment