Meet the Summer Instructors Part IV

These guys are true superheroes: the WFC’s team of naturalists takes the kids out everyday and teaches them about the bay and how important it is to protect and preserve it. I sat down with each of them to talk about the importance of passing on a tradition of caring for our environment, and their aspirations for the summer.

Joining the Naturalist team this summer is Connor Schmid, 19, from Garden City. A sophomore at Binghamton University who is studying Human Development and History, Connor is experienced when it comes to working with kids. Though he has worked at other camps before, he is particularly excited about working at the WFC since he’ll have the opportunity to gain more experience teaching while getting to spend his summer outdoors. Connor says that he has always had an avid interest in marine biology, and enjoys passing on his love for the ocean. So what is he looking forward to this summer? “Being able to help kids develop a passion for the environment,” he says. He hopes that he’ll help his kids have as much fun this summer as he did at the WFC as a kid, when he used to come kayaking with his dad. Connor aspires to be a teacher, and will fit right in with a staff full of future and current educators! 

Fun Facts

Desired Superhero Power: Flying

Favorite Sports Team: the Knicks

Interests: Basketball, kayaking, swimming (“Anything in the water”, he says), skiing

Andy Torrez, 24, moved here for the summer from her home in San Francisco, though she is originally from San Jose, CA. Like any good Cali girl, Andy is at home in the outdoors: she loves running and hiking, and says, “the beach is definitely my home away from home!” Having completed a degree in environmental education from City College of San Francisco, Andy is a perfect addition to the staff of devoted environmentalists here at the WFC, and brings with her a passion for adventure and positive attitude: “I think it’s important for children to learn how to take care of our world and our environment,” she said, adding that, “it’s so cool that kids want to learn about the environment!” She was drawn to the WFC because of the opportunity to gain more experience in environmental education, and after discovering the program on the internet she realized that it would be a great chance to relocate and meet new people interested in the same goals. What she most enjoys about teaching, she says, is “the excitement in kids’ faces when they learn something new”, and when they get just as excited about sharing their own knowledge. Welcome aboard, Andy!

 

Fun Facts

Desired Superhero Power: “[I would like] to be in two places at once, because there’s a lot of things I want to do but I always feel like I have to choose.”

Favorite Ice Cream: Mint chocolate chip

Favorite Books: A toss-up between Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

Favorite sports team: “The Giants of course!”

Quote: “I am the master of my fate: / I am the captain of my soul.” - from “Invictus” by William Ernest Henley