The “we” of Pack 9 includes students Ashley Brown, Frida Cruz, and Erica Mawyer. We’re on a journey to Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming and we couldn’t be more thrilled for the adventure we’re about to dive into. All three of us are Juniors at Longwood University and plan to graduate in May of 2017. Ashley Brown and Erica Mawyer are Kinesiology (Physical Education and Health Education) majors, while Frida Cruz is an Environmental Science Major.

What made us want to go to Yellowstone National Park?

Erica:

I wanted to participate in the Yellowstone trip because this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Whether it’s because of the amazing faculty, getting to know other students, experiencing the West coast, or being able to see incredible sights I knew I had to participate. Having faculty who are so passionate and knowledgeable about this trip plus outside resources being used to enhance our knowledge made my willingness to participate even higher. I imagine this trip will really help me see and think about issues differently and how people can be impacted. I wanted to go on this trip to experience a whole new scenery and be immersed in a different culture.

Ashley:

Yellowstone has been calling my name for a long time. After falling in  love with hiking and the outdoors at a young age, I knew at some point in my life I would make the journey out west to Yellowstone National Park. Once I heard about Longwood’s program, I knew I had to be apart of it. I was hesitant because some parts of the trip were a little out of my comfort zone, but I also know that’s a good place to be sometimes–and this was one of those times. I’m also looking forward to working with others and seeing other perspectives of people in this world, including other students at Longwood. YNP has so much to offer and I can’t wait to learn more about America’s First National Park and experience the adventure of a lifetime.

Frida:

Originally, I decided to go to YNP because I figured it would be a pretty nice place to write some papers, for the English course I plan to take. As an environmental science major, I have always greatly appreciated what nature has to offer in regards to aesthetics, natural resources, natural services, and strongly support its preservation. YNP was the first National Park and began the movement for preservation in the United States, I knew I needed to check out the place that began a movement for preservation. I imagine the land to be overwhelmingly beautiful that the need for environmental preservation was so obvious.

Although I already had a strong desire to see Yellowstone in person, through the pre-departure course I was given more reasons to want to go, realizing that a nice place to write a paper is only a small portion of was YNP has to offer. Working in an unfamiliar area and studying with students with interdisciplinary perspectives offers the opportunity to study issues more broadly than I would have ever considered. This experience will give me a better perspective when solving future issues within my own disciplinary.