Giving Thanks for My Family

Haystack Mountain, Adirondacks

On this day of Thanksgiving, I wanted to write a special tribute to the beautiful journey the last ten months have taken me on and the people who have made it so special. Last year, two days before Thanksgiving, I accepted the environmental educator position working in the Finger Lakes State Parks. It was my second AmeriCorps position and my first Student Conservation Association (SCA) position. I was simultaneously excited and nervous about the job. I hadn’t previously sought after an environmental educator career path and I knew I would consistently be pushed outside my comfort zone. However, I had not anticipated all the friendships I would form and how much I would grow in such a short time. As I reflect fondly on the last year, I have much to be thankful for. 

My House Family

Right from the start, the members of our household hit it off. You would be hard pressed to not find the five of us laughing and dancing together. Trick, Tori, Lizzy, Kyle, and I each came from very different backgrounds, and had very different personalities, but we shared a common appreciation and respect for life and love. From the very first cold days on Canandaigua Lake at Orientation, I knew that these four people would be more than acquaintances I shared a living space with. Any given night, making dinner could turn into a dance party with many memorable laughs and giggles. However, what made us a family was the simple everyday interactions around the kitchen table after a long day of work, the deep questions brought up around a campfire, and the late night strolls to visit GrandMother Norwegian. I am thankful to have had four of the kindest, most loyal wood nymphs as housemates.

The Josh Teeter

From the first time I talked to Josh in my interview, I knew I needed to work for him, to learn from him. Josh has an electric personality that gives you the confidence to talk to complete strangers, to create a Fall Fireside program series from scratch (which went quite well!), and to embrace the style that makes you uniquely you. His brain is constantly at work, using his well of  knowledge to solve seven different problems at once. Josh’s unique method of mentorship supported us in our learning while also giving us the freedom to pursue our own interests. Impressively, this combination simultaneously fostered a sense of partnership and individuality. I am thankful to have had a supervisor, a mentor, whom I also call a friend.

My Extended Parks Corps Family

It is one thing to have four people all with the same passion in life, but to have 15 is an experience many people never have the privilege of sharing. Every time we came together for different trainings like Wilderness First Aid, Certified Interpretive Guide Training, Leave No Trace, or All Corps service event, it was like an extended family holiday reunion. It was a time for us to let go and relax and just be ourselves. Working with 15 other people my age was an experience unlike anything else I have done, and I recognize that my life would be incomplete without it. I am thankful to have grown alongside this amazing group of people and I cannot express my gratitude enough towards our SCA supervisors Libby and Marlena.

My Sisters

I believe there are those people in your life who connect with you on a deeper level, who connect with your soul. Ironically, Lizzy, Kyle, and I are possibly three of the most opposite educators you could put together. Lizzy is headstrong, she knows what she wants and will fight you for it but has a smile that lights up a room, Kyle is the master of go with the flow, not letting conflict phase her but can also be a social butterfly, combine this with my energizer bunny blaze my own path personality and you have quite the trio. Whether educating, hiking, dancing, festivals, traveling, or exploring, I am thankful to have two strong woman who I can call my sisters through thick and thin.

My Park Family

I think back to the beginning of scaling season in April when we knew very few park staff as compared to the fullness I felt the last few weeks hanging out as one big park family. During scaling season we spent 10 hours a day, four days a week, with the same groups of people, getting to know them like siblings. Overtime, a few of these cherished friendships blossomed; Sonny became like our crazy favorite Uncle and Mackenzie was always there in a pinch, generosity overflowing. Over the summer, we also formed close friendships with another park worker, the always level headed Dakota. The hardest part of writing this blog so far has been finding enough photos with only specific people in them. In reality, all of the people I am thankful for were so intertwined that group hikes and get togethers at the house were usually a big family affair. I am so thankful to have formed friendships with people I could both work and play with.

NYS Parks/SCA/AmeriCorps Triad Partnership

In all reality, all of these priceless friendships boil down to the joint partnership between three environmental powerhouses: NYS Parks, SCA, and AmeriCorps. Without the three of these organizations working together, I never would have discovered my love and passion for sharing the wonders of the natural world with others, I wouldn’t have a network through SCA that extends across the country, and I wouldn’t have the respect I have for parks at a state level. The importance of the triad relationship is something I had not foreseen; nonetheless, it is something I have come to see as irreplaceable. I not only gained job experience and lifelong friendships, I gained an entire community. Thank you NYS Parks, SCA, and AmeriCorps for combining forces to give me a truly once in a lifetime experience.

What’s Next

It is hard to think that there could be more to be thankful for and yet life keeps giving!

Although I am sad to see this wonderful, beautiful, life changing stage of my life come to an end, it has allowed me to gain the dream position. Starting in January, I will be combining my previous two AmeriCorps terms into a third term working at Lewis and Clark Cavern State Park, in Montana, as a tour guide! Visitors will embark with me on a whole underground adventure, combining my knowledge of bats with my expertise on the creation of rare geologic formations!

From me to all the people who touched my life over the last year, THANK YOU! 

        Until our next family reunion, Happy Thanksgiving!

The Avengers: Josh, Tori, Kyle, Dakota, MacKenzie

Trick, Lizzy, Tamara