Educator Spotlight: Yanina Salerno

Yanina Salerno, a nonformal educator from Buncombe County recently completed her NC Environmental Education Certification. 

Yanina is a forest guide and offers nature walks that give participants an opportunity to learn about their natural environment and how to be in relationship with Mother Earth according to indigenous teachings and knowledge.

When asked about her favorite part of the program, Yanina said it was the plethora of information, resources, and teachings she received from so many amazing and passionate teachers through the years. She says her trip to the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont for a long weekend to participate in their Naturalist program was a unique experience and one that really stood out for her. "Living, learning and sharing meals alongside so many other nature-loving students of all ages was an experience I will cherish forever."

For her community partnership project Yanina created a trans-cultural medicine wheel Bee City USA certified pollinator garden on a local greenway. “The project brought community members and local organizations together during workdays and it will be a continued source of environmental and cultural education for the community as well as a continued benefit to the ecosystem.”

When asked if the program changed her approach to teaching or her views of environmental issues, Yanina said the certification helped her look at her own program from more than one perspective and that helped her to further enrich the program. “Now I look at things like learning styles, curriculum, evaluation, qualitative and quantitative data and how I can use these tools to enrich my program. The certification program has developed and deepened my understanding of environmental issues and has also given me resources to be a better steward of our natural environment.”