Nicodemus Wilderness Project -- Global Registry of Apprentice Ecologists

NWP Global Registry of Apprentice Ecologists Photo Essay
I sat in my seat, my mouth gaping open as I tried to make sense of what I heard. There was no way that Mr. Jones, my 7th grade science teacher, told the class that climate change is a hoax. His words burned my ears. "Instead of wasting our time with this nonsensical issue, we will move onto the next unit." My face clearly illustrated fury and utter shock because my friend tapped my shoulder and asked me why I seemed so angry. Once I told her, she shrugged and explained that Mr.Jones is the teacher so he is always right. For the rest of that day, I lost focus in class as Mr. Jones' words boiled over in my head.
I became interested and concerned about climate change through a science fair project I completed in elementary school. Back then, I was startled to hear that this problem was occurring on our planet. In fifth grade, I read about a list of countries which faces critical consequences due to climate change, and Bangladesh, the country my family came from, has been affected the most. That is when this problem hit home and it became my goal to end global warming.
I soon discovered that there are people who are either unaware of climate change or believe that it is simply a myth. One day, I almost got kicked out of class for having an argument with my peer about this alarming issue. She told me that climate change is God's will and there is no scientific evidence suggesting that it is caused from human activities.The ignorance angered me even more than the problem itself! I knew that I had to do something about the lack of awareness of this distressing issue.
In tenth grade, I was accepted into a program called LearnServe International, an organization that enables high school students to develop projects to address issues that they are passionate about. I chose to focus on climate change and I developed a program named Eco-School Leadership Initiative (ESLI). Through ESLI, high school students educate elementary school students about climate change and other environmental issues.
I developed a curriculum, raised funds, and developed teaching aids. However, the program did not begin as smoothly as I anticipated. I met the principal of Mantua Elementary School to persuade her to allow me to run ESLI as an after school program. After I explained the program to her, she said "your program is great but not all parents believe in climate change so we cannot let you run this program." At first, I was shocked, but that only fueled my ambition. Luckily, I found another school willing to host my program. I held eight sessions in 2013, focusing on environmental issues,consequences, and steps that we can take to mitigate the effect.The students were very receptive and asked interesting questions. A month after I started the program, I helped students from Thomas Jefferson High School and Oakton High School to start ESLI at their schools.
During the summer of 2015, before I started college, I held the an Environmental education conference at the National Wildlife Federation where students from high schools all over the DMV area came to learn about how to start ESLI at their schools. Now, ESLI is in 7 high schools and 3 colleges. Of course I have brought it here, to VCU where I plan on making it a way to not only help the University have a connection with elementary schools but also to help get students of all ages, excited about environmentalism.