#CreatingConnection – Valerie’s Story

Valerie’s experience with Nature Kids helped steer the course of her career.

“I have been volunteering with Nature Kids since the summer of 2015. Since my first summer Family Nature Night, I was hooked. At the time, I was a graduate student pursuing a PhD in land reclamation, and having the opportunity to share my passion for nature and protecting the environment with families was inspiring. Since then I have completed my PhD and am now working as an Outreach and Engagement Coordinator for a research program at the University of Alberta. Nature Kids gave me the opportunity to pursue my passion for STEAM outreach and the skills to build a career in it.

“Living in a city, even one as green as Edmonton, and being as dependent on technology as we are now, Nature Kids provides a unique opportunity to get outside and learn more about the nature that surrounds us. Our families get to meet experts, try things themselves, and most of all, touch, hear, see and smell nature. As a group leader, I get to see the wonder on their faces when they look into a magnifying glass at a water sample they collected or run through a field with a bug net.

“I am truly honoured to be a volunteer with Nature Kids. I hope that my passion for nature has inspired young members of our families to become the next generation of ecologists, teachers, politicians, land reclamation scientists, and more.”

—Valerie Miller, PhD
Outreach and Engagement Coordinator, Future Energy Systems
Coordinator, Land Reclamation International Graduate School

Your support of Nature Alberta’s outreach programs helps connect experts with the community and create moments of inspiration and wonder. Please donate today to help us keep #CreatingConnection.