Working with the Junior Ranger program beginning in the summer before my freshman year was my first introduction to climate action, and of course, climate literacy (lol). 

By working with the specialized Climate Crew in my second and third seasons, I got to conduct research the impacts of forest thinning on local climates, diving into how human interference can be positive when well-researched, mitigating harm while emulating patterns that occurred in nature before modern urbanization caused us to completely eliminate fires as a natural part of an ecosystem, and allowing for excessive buildup of fuels. Writing a research paper with my crew and getting to share our findings with very influential people from across Boulder's government felt truly impactful in deepening my understanding of climate literacy principles, and began my journey of sharing this understanding and passion with others. 

I formed a group at my school, initially with the sole purpose of planning the semester's BVSD Climate Resilience Summit. This brought many people together to learn and benefit from each other in showcasing their solutions to local climate issues, and helping their own local ecosystems to thrive. The primary theme of the event was hope, with many people's key takeaways being a reinvigorated sense of personal duty to protect their environment, as well as relief and joy that their are so many opportunities around us for taking measures towards sustainability, and so many youth utilizing them.