My name is Anna Martin, and I am so excited to be this year's Education Field Fellow for the Voyageurs Conservancy! I am grateful for the opportunity to work for this great organization and to participate in a fellowship that supports my graduate studies. Currently, I am a first-year graduate student at the University of Minnesota Duluth, working on my master's in environmental education. This past May, I graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where I earned my BA in environmental studies and history.
Though I grew up in southern Wisconsin and attended college there, I have always had a passion and love for the beautiful environment of northern Minnesota. My family has a cabin on Lake Vermillion that I grew up going to during the summer. Some of my most significant and memorable experiences in nature have happened in Minnesota’s north woods, and I hope to connect more people with this wonderful place.
In both my time as a graduate student and a Field Fellow, I want to connect people with their environment to inspire lifelong connections to nature. These experiences and connections are critical because when people deeply care about a place, they want to help it. Getting outside is also a great way to build community, and in a world where people are becoming more disconnected from each other, I want to help rebuild these community connections. I am very excited to begin this journey and can’t wait for the experiences that Voyageurs Conservancy will offer!