Educator Spotlight: Stephanie Willis

Stephanie Willis, a docent and volunteer from Guilford County completed her NC Environmental Education Certification.

Stephanie volunteers with local organizations including the Piedmont Land Conservancy, Haw River Assembly, Piedmont Bird Club, NC Herpetology Society and the Greensboro Science Center. “I love being outside - hiking, camping, observing and identifying plants, animals, fungi and slime molds. I love traveling, cooking, arts and crafts, and listening to music. I've got twenty-plus years of work history with Greensboro nonprofits, working in refugee resettlement and services for immigrants and refugees, supporting AmeriCorps programs and in HIV prevention and care services. Currently, I'm the Program Evaluation and Operations Coordinator for Family Support Network of Central Carolina.”

Stephanie says her favorite part of earning her certification was the outdoor experiences. “I loved having the opportunity to be outdoors learning about nature and the environment with experts and other like-minded people. The instructional workshop experiences were great too! I learned a lot about the field of environmental education that I never knew about and met a lot of cool people.”

When asked about a certification experience that stood out to her, Stephanie says it was outdoor experience at Ridges Mountain with a group of Northwest Piedmont Master Naturalist Volunteer students learning about the areas’ ecology and ecosystems, wildlife, plant communities and land conservation efforts. “We hiked the mountain, explored, shared observations with one another, and at the top of a path near an overlook, many of us heard and then saw an Eastern whip-poor-will. I’d never seen one before. It was really special. This outdoor learning was a powerful experience, much more powerful than if I had attended a lecture or a presentation. Direct connection with nature and learning through experience is so much more likely to motivate involvement to address environmental issues and take action.”

For her community partnership project,  Stephanie is co-coordinating a reptile and amphibian event in April 2027 with the City of Greensboro Parks and Recreation department, the Miriam P. Brenner Children's Museum, the NC Herpetological Society and the NC Partnership for Reptile and Amphibian Conservation. “I expect the event to achieve the goals of providing an opportunity for community members to interact with and learn more about reptiles and amphibians, especially native animals, and their ecosystems. My hope is that other community organizations and projects are highlighted and that everyone involved will have a fun, memorable experience that may lead to future action and engagement that supports the care and protection of these animals.”

Stephanie says the program changed her approach to teaching. “I used to feel like my role in leading an environmental education experience was to present and convey information or to be present to deliver facts to an audience that was interested in a topic. I've learned how important it is for my role to be more of a guide for participants' experiences, with specific learning goals in mind, but where participants are actively engaged, encouraged to explore and make observations, ask their own questions, and arrive at their own understandings. I always initiate my interactions in an environmental education setting with a question now. I use open-ended, inquiry-based questions. ‘What do you notice? What does it remind you of? What do you wonder? Tell me more about that.’ The Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Environmental Education workshop has changed my thinking forever. Now, I always notice how environmental opportunities for people are inclusive and accessible, or how they aren’t.”

She also says the program changed the way she views environmental issues. “I have been heartened to know that there are so many educators who have pursued this certification and who are integrating environmental education into their curricula for the benefit of their students and our world. I hope generations of students are able to increase their awareness and knowledge of environmental issues, develop the skills needed to recognize and solve our problems and to take action to address environmental issues.”