First-generation Maine students from Angola, Tanzania, Sudan, El Salvador, and Guatemala explored coastal ecosystems this summer during a weeklong adventure in York County.
Twelve teenage girls from Portland High School participated in the weeklong program in June with the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve.
Wells Reserve at Laudholm hosted the session for 12 girls from Portland High School with support from MaineCF’s Rines Thompson Fund. They kayaked, watched birds, and explored beaches and fields – new experiences for many.
Despite their language differences, the group worked together to get out of their comfort zones, especially during kayaking.
“This is an opportunity for female-identifying students to engage in science and expose them to new opportunities,” said Suzanne Kahn, education director of the reserve. “It gets them thinking about potential careers and to broaden their worldview for what’s possible.”
The experience, wrote one participant, was “one of the best days of my life.”
The Wells Reserve works to understand, protect, and restore coastal ecosystems of the Gulf of Maine through research, stewardship, environmental learning, and community partnerships. It is open to the public and offers guided trail and kayak tours, as well as other seasonal events.
Photos courtesy Wells Reserve
