Hi y’all! My name is Mary Ferguson, and I am so honored to be one of the 2026 Eco Digital Storytelling Mentors within the Natural Resources Conservation Academy. I’m a senior studying Earth science with a minor in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.     I’ve always had a passion for science, but when coming to […]

Hello! My name is Jamaile, and this marks my third and final time serving as an Eco-Digital Storytellers mentor, and what an incredible journey it has been! While it’s truly a bittersweet moment to say goodbye to this remarkable program, the students, and the faculty, I leave with immense gratitude. As someone involved from the […]

Hi! My name is Lily Walowitz and I joined the Natural Resources Conservation Academy as an Eco-Digital Storytellers Mentor for the 2026 program. I am currently a sophomore at UConn pursuing a Secondary Earth Science Education Degree.     Since I was in kindergarten, I have known that I wanted to be a teacher, but the question was always: what […]

Wading into my Environmental Storytelling class in the fall of 2024, I never imagined how this program would rearrange the stars as I wayfind the environmental space. When the waters ahead are uncertain, working with high school students at the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts (GHAA) through Natural Resource Conservation Academy’s (NRCA) Eco-Digital Storytellers […]

The Natural Resources Conservation Academy (NRCA) is now accepting applications for Difference Maker Mentors (DMMs)—UConn undergraduates who serve as leaders for the Conservation Ambassador Program (CAP) and as near-peer mentors to high school teens as they complete a community environmental action project.   We are seeking students from all majors and backgrounds who are passionate […]

Across Connecticut, the Natural Resources Conservation Academy’s (NRCA) Eco-Digital Storyteller (EDS; https://nrca.uconn.edu/eds/) program is reshaping how teachers approach learning—helping schools integrate environmental science, geospatial technology, digital media arts and youth-centered storytelling into everyday instruction. Despite the cancellation of federal funding, this work is continuing thanks to essential support from UConn’s EMERGE program, which has enabled […]

Hey everyone! My name is Megan Ng and I’m so excited to be a Difference Maker Mentor for the NRCA Conservation Ambassadors Program cohort of 2025-2026. I’m a sophomore majoring in Natural Resources with minors in Psychology and Urban and Community Studies.   I have a great love for learning and I’ve been interested in […]

Hi! My name’s Ben and I’m serving as a Difference Maker Mentor for the 2025-2026 NRCA CAP program. I’m currently in my senior year as a Physiology & Neurobiology student. I love the outdoors and it’s very important to me that we keep our environment healthy as human influence on nature continues to grow. I […]

      Hi! My name is Haley Jordan (she/her) and I’m a Difference Maker Mentor for the 2025-2026 CAP Program! I’m going into my junior year as a natural resources major concentrating in fisheries and wildlife, with a minor in ecology and evolutionary biology!               In high school, […]

    Hello! My name is Rachel Palmer, and I’m super excited to be working as a Difference Maker Mentor for the 2025-2026 NRCA Conservation Ambassador Program (CAP). I was born and raised in central Maine. I am entering my junior year this fall, majoring in Natural Resources with a minor in Environmental Health and Safety.    […]