Educator Spotlight: Hannah Welborn-Lewis

Hannah Welborn-Lewis, the events and volunteer coordinator for Haw River Assembly, has completed her NC Environmental Education Certification. Hannah says the program helped her find her position with the environmental nonprofit.

Hannah organizes events, coordinates large-scale programs, and serves as the Haw River Learning Celebration Coordinator. “This annual program engages more than 1,000 fourth-grade students in hands-on environmental education at sites throughout the Haw River watershed. Although my work focuses on the Haw River watershed, I live in the Deep River watershed, which inspired me to create Water Works, an environmental education initiative dedicated to connecting my local community with its waterways. Through Water Works, I have partnered with elementary schools, after-school programs, and libraries to provide engaging, hands-on environmental education and inspire the next generation of environmental stewards.”

Hannah says her favorite part of earning her certification was attending workshops across the state and learning from other educators who are experts in their fields. “From an elk workshop at Grandfather Mountain to an aquaculture workshop in Columbia, North Carolina, each experience broadened my understanding of our state’s incredible diversity. These opportunities deepened my appreciation for North Carolina and strengthened my passion for sharing its unique natural resources with others through my work.”

When asked about a program experience that stood out to her, Hannah says attending a whale workshop at Trinity Center’s Sound to Sea Program was a full-circle moment for her. “I fondly remember visiting Sound to Sea on a fifth-grade field trip and how that experience helped inspire my appreciation for wildlife and our oceans. Returning as an adult and experiencing the program from a new perspective was incredibly meaningful. The educators were knowledgeable and engaging, and I gained valuable insight into changing whale activity along the Atlantic coast. It was a wonderful reminder of the lasting impact environmental education can have and reinforced my passion for providing those same meaningful experiences to others.”

For her community partnership project, Hannah focused on educating residents in the City of Archdale about stream and creek protection while increasing their awareness of water pollution and prevention. “I removed damaged storm drain markers in local neighborhoods, installed markers at new public locations, and developed environmental education opportunities for youth in the community. In 2023, I partnered with the City of Archdale to support its storm drain marker initiative and joined the Stormwater Advisory Board at the request of the city's stormwater manager.”

Hannah’s work helped the city meet its responsibilities for its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit. Hannah has also conducted community outreach by partnering with a local elementary school for its STEAM Day and with the Archdale Community Library, where she provided a program for teens focused on understanding water pollution and exploring practical ways to prevent and reduce its impacts.

She says the program changed the way she views environmental issues. “The program helped me understand the importance of localizing environmental issues and breaking down complex topics into information that is accessible and digestible for myself and others. Terms such as climate change and global warming can sometimes lose their impact through repetition, making it essential to communicate these issues in ways that demonstrate their real-world effects on people, communities, and industries. I learned the importance of presenting this information objectively and connecting broader environmental challenges to the places where people live and work.”

Hannah says the certification program taught her the importance of building on participants’ prior knowledge and allowing curiosity to guide learning, especially when working with children. “While having a structured agenda is important for effective programming, I learned that flexibility and opportunities for children to explore, ask questions, and make their own discoveries are equally essential.”

She says the program also reinforced the importance of helping people develop a sense of place by connecting their personal experiences to the natural world around them. “Building connections between people and their local parks, watersheds, and natural resources is essential to fostering environmental stewardship and inspiring long-term conservation efforts. When people understand and appreciate the places they call home, they are more likely to feel a sense of responsibility for protecting them.”

Educator Spotlight - Claire Greene

Claire Greene, a state park naturalist and environmental educator at Hanging Rock State Park, recently completed the North Carolina Environmental Education Certification.

Claire said the certification program helped advance her career.

"I have worked at Hanging Rock State Park for the past two years. In 2025, I accepted a position for a new section of the park scheduled to open in 2027. The certification is an important step in my professional development and will allow me to continue applying my environmental education experience in my new role. It will also support my long-term career goals, including my aspiration to become a park ranger."

Claire said her favorite part of the certification process was networking with educators.

"I had the opportunity to connect with educators from across the state, build professional relationships with instructors and fellow environmental educators, and expand my knowledge of educational materials and teaching strategies. These experiences have provided me with valuable resources that I can apply to strengthen interpretive and environmental education programming within North Carolina State Parks."

When asked about an experience that stood out to her, Claire said the hands-on learning experiences were the most valuable.

"I especially enjoyed having the instructors conduct workshops as though we were the students, allowing us to experience the activities from a participant's perspective," she said. "Physically taking part in a workshop helped me process and understand the material more effectively than simply being told how the workshop should be conducted. Experiencing the activities firsthand also provided a better understanding of how participants may engage with the material, making the workshops more immersive, meaningful, and effective."

For her community partnership project, Claire worked with a local Girl Scout group to create a native pollinator garden that incorporated a Monarch Waystation. She said the garden provides monarch butterflies with important habitat, food sources, and host plants.

"As native plants are increasingly replaced by ornamental plants that may not provide the food and habitat local wildlife depends on, creating spaces with native vegetation can help restore ecological balance within the surrounding environment. This garden not only supports pollinators but also provides food, shelter, and habitat for birds, mammals, amphibians, and reptiles."

Claire said the garden has also become an important environmental education tool.

"Visitors can explore the garden while learning about the importance of native plants, pollinators, monarch butterflies, and healthy ecosystems. It also provides an opportunity to show visitors they can make a difference by incorporating native plants and pollinator-friendly habitats into their own yards and communities."

Claire said the program changed her approach to teaching.

"When I first began working in environmental education, I was an adult college student with a strong passion for land preservation and habitat conservation. I was so passionate about these subjects that I sometimes came on a little stronger than necessary, trying to provide program participants with as much information as possible. I wanted them to understand everything I found important, but I learned that more information does not always lead to a better learning experience. The certification provided me with tools and teaching strategies that helped me channel that passion into programs that are more focused, hands-on, engaging, and approachable."

Claire said she has found that environmental educators do more than simply provide information.

"Our role is to help learners navigate the process of discovering and understanding a topic in a way that allows them to make their own meaningful connections. The workshops and experiences throughout this certification helped me learn how to identify the most important concepts and present them in a way that is easier for participants to understand and remember. This has helped me become a more intentional educator and has given me greater confidence in creating meaningful educational experiences that encourage curiosity, connection, and a deeper appreciation for the natural world."

Claire said the program also opened her eyes to a new way of viewing environmental issues.

"I have developed a deeper awareness, respect, and appreciation for every creature and living thing and for the important role each plays within an ecosystem. Through this certification and the experiences that came with it, I have gained an incredible amount of knowledge that I can carry with me throughout my career."

She also said the certification strengthened her as an environmental educator and inspired her to set new goals for her career and personal growth.

"I feel more prepared, more confident, and even more passionate about continuing to learn, educate others, and protect the natural resources and places that I care so deeply about. Most importantly, this certification has reminded me that environmental education is not simply about teaching others; it is also about continuing to learn, grow, and see the natural world with curiosity and appreciation."

Educator Spotlight: Jacqueline Gronwald

Jacqueline Gronwald, a media specialist at Ragsdale High School in Guilford County has completed her North Carolina Environmental Education Certification.

As a high school media specialist, Jacqueline says she helps enhance student learning by providing students and teachers with access to books, digital resources and technology.

“I collaborate with teachers to find ways to bring new lessons, resources, and topics into their classrooms to support student learning.”

In her free time, Jacqueline enjoys reading, running and traveling.”

When asked about her favorite part of earning her certification, Jacqueline said it was attending workshops across the state and learning about environmental education.

“These experiences inspired me to regularly take students outside the classroom for hands-on learning. I now incorporate outdoor lessons on topics such as forestry, watersheds, and geysers, and I recently started an annual Bat Week to help students learn about wildlife conservation. I love being able to take what I learn and turn it into meaningful experiences for my students.”

Jacqueline says the experience that stood out most during the program was the “Yellowstone in Winter” Educators of Excellence Institute through the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.

“It was an incredible opportunity to see wildlife in person that I had only seen in photos before. That experience gave me a greater appreciation for hands-on environmental education and inspired me to create similar opportunities for my students.”

For her community partnership project, Jacqueline created the “Ragsdale Bat Week,” a schoolwide wildlife conservation initiative designed to connect students and their families with local wildlife and environmental education.

“Through classroom lessons, a Q&A session with a bat expert from the Greensboro Science Center, and a Bat Detection Night, students and families learned about bats and their important role in our ecosystem. The project helped build awareness of wildlife conservation and provided an opportunity for the school community to engage in hands-on outdoor learning together.”

She says the program also changed the way she views environmental issues.

“I believe the best way to get students engaged with environmental issues is to make learning meaningful and memorable. Students may not remember a lesson about bats from a Google Slides presentation, but they are much more likely to remember an experience like using bat detectors to find bats themselves before a football game. Creating these hands-on experiences helps students develop a personal connection to the environment and makes them more interested in conservation.”

Educator Spotlight: Freya Bairdsen

Freya Bairdsen, an educator with The North CarolinaArboretum, has completed her NC Environmental Education Certification.

In her role at the Arboretum, Freya facilitates the ecoEXPLORE program, a community science program for children. Much of the program is virtual, but she also leads in-person programs at local libraries, the Arboretum, and with other community partners.

“In my off time, I love hiking, searching for mushrooms and flippin' logs. Most recently, I've also discovered a new adoration for snorkeling in mountain creeks,” said Freya.

Freya said her favorite part of earning her certification was gaining new experiences and learning from other educators.

“The program pushed me to seek out new experiences and meet so many other educators in my area and across the state. It was amazing to learn to facilitate so many new activities, observe experienced and talented educators at work, and take deep dives into different topics in environmental education through the workshops,” she said.

When asked about an experience in the program that stood out to her, Freya said learning about CAST's Universal Design for Learning had the greatest impact.

“I learned principles that I will carry with me throughout my life and that will inform my work for as long as I am in environmental education,” said Freya.

For her community partnership project, Freya organized a Nature Play Day while serving as an AmeriCorps member at the Arboretum.

“I was a primary organizer for Nature Play Day. Everyone could use a little more connection with nature in their lives, so we wanted to design and implement a large community event with the goal of bringing families closer to each other and to nature. We created 10 different nature exploration stations across the Arboretum grounds, including pond exploration, box turtle telemetry tracking, shelter building and plant pressing. Through Nature Play Day, we collaborated with seven different community partners and hosted more than 2,600 participants,” said Freya.

Freya said the program changed her approach to teaching.

“I'm so grateful for my increased knowledge of universal design principles. Now, whenever I create a lesson plan, I like to think of it as building a buffet of learning options, offering as many choices and different ways for learners to meaningfully engage as possible. With this foundation of knowledge, I'm excited to continue improving in this area and to offer more accessible programming. The BEETLES training I completed also had a great impact on my teaching. I feel better able to guide sensory nature observations with students and ask more effective guiding questions,” she said.

Freya said the program reinforced her commitment to environmental education, even though her views on environmental issues have remained largely the same.

“Learning about the origins and guiding principles of environmental education gave language to the mission of the field and helped me bring more structure, intention and community to my work.”

Educator Spotlight: Joshua Cool

Joshua Cool, manager of the Fred Stanback Jr. EcologicalPreserve and Chestnut Orchard for Catawba College's Center for the Environment, has completed his NC Environmental Education Certification.

The achievement is especially significant because Joshua is the first educator to earn the certification since North Carolina's environmental education program became part of Catawba College's Center for the Environment.

As preserve manager, Joshua leads habitat restoration and rewilding efforts, including invasive plant management, native plant encouragement, trail maintenance, and educational programming for visitors.

One of Joshua's favorite aspects of the certification program was the opportunity to connect with fellow environmental educators across North Carolina.

"I have met some of the smartest, kindest, most thoughtful folks while pursuing this certification," he said. "This community is welcoming, helpful, curious, and inspiring. The ecological field can be lonely at times or feel disheartening; forming bonds with so many people doing good work passionately is a balm for the soul."

Among the highlights of the program were two Educator Trekshosted by the NC Museum of Natural Sciences.

"During the first trek, Spring in the Mountains, we recorded salamander species, looked for often-overlooked plants like bear corn, and listened to birds singing their dawn chorus in the morning mist," he said. "The second trek, Where Swans Fly, Bears Walk, and Wolves Howl, took us to the Pocosin Lakes and Alligator River National Wildlife Refuges, where we saw bears, migratory swans, otters, and much more."

"The highlight of this trek was seeing a collared red wolf in the wild," Joshua said. "It was a true once-in-a-lifetime experience and one I will cherish all my days."

As part of the certification requirements, Joshua completed a community project by establishing a Green Team at Salisbury Academy. The project culminated in the school's Earth Day celebration, when the entire student body participated in planting a pollinator garden on campus.

"All students were able to shoot seed bombs from simple slingshots into the prepared ground," he said. "The garden has become a favorite part of campus. Even first and second graders now often report spending recess birdwatching."

The pollinator garden has expanded opportunities for outdoor learning and includes signage explaining the goals and benefits of pollinator gardens. It is managed to support wildlife year-round, with plant stalks left standing through winter and seeds remaining on plants as a food source for birds.

Joshua said the program also transformed his approach to education.

"I was a voracious reader as a child, and I often expected information and evidence, eloquently presented, to be sufficient for effective education," he said. "The highly participatory and often playful nature of many of these programs has proved to be an amazing catalyst for learning."

The experience also broadened his view of environmental stewardship.

"I have expanded my idea of who can, and indeed must, show up for the environment," he said. "Everyone has something to offer in this field, regardless of their direct specialization. This is an all-hands-on-deck situation, and we are going to need a diversity of skills, tactics, and ways of thinking to tackle the challenges we face. We all have something to give."

Educator Spotlight: Caitlyn Heney

For Caitlyn Heney, a senior studying environmental geology at Appalachian State University, earning her North Carolina Environmental Education Certification has been more than a professional achievement. It has opened doors to new opportunities, strengthened her confidence, and connected her with a supportive network of environmental professionals across the state.

Caitlyn, who plans to graduate in December 2026, says one of the most valuable aspects of the certification program has been the relationships she has built along the way.

"The program connected me with an incredible network of people who will continue to support me as I move into my career," she shared.

Last summer, Caitlyn interned with the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality as an erosion and sediment control education and outreach intern. The experience became the foundation for her community partnership project, a key component of the certification program.

"During my internship, I redesigned the Erosion and Sediment Control Program's curriculum, The Erosion Patrol," Caitlyn said. "Starting with an outdated packet from the 1990s, I expanded and modernized the curriculum by creating new activities, a comprehensive educator guidebook, a student workbook and a comic book that I wrote and illustrated. All these materials align with North Carolina's interdisciplinary fourth-grade standards, and my work isn’t finished yet. I am currently completing a third-grade curriculum and will soon begin developing a middle school curriculum as well."

Among the highlights of the certification process, Caitlyn says connecting with classroom teachers and nonformal educators from across North Carolina was especially meaningful.

"Hearing about people's different backgrounds, making connections and forming new friendships was wonderful," she said.

When reflecting on her certification journey, Caitlyn said one of the biggest surprises was discovering that environmental education was much more than a backup plan.

"When I started the certification program, I honestly saw it as a backup plan," she said. "I wasn't sure what my future would look like, so I wanted to build my environmental résumé and create more options after graduation. Over time, though, I fell in love with environmental education and realized this was the path I was meant to follow.

"Somewhere along the way, it stopped feeling like a backup plan and became something I was genuinely excited about. I love combining my passion for the environment with art and creativity and then sharing that passion with people of all ages. Environmental education has shown me that science does not have to feel intimidating or inaccessible. There are so many creative ways to take complex environmental topics and make them engaging, understandable and even fun. Discovering that has been one of the most meaningful parts of earning my certification."

One experience that particularly stood out was attending three Project WET (Water Education for Tomorrow) workshops.

"These were some of my favorite workshops throughout the entire process," Caitlyn said. "I've always been passionate about water, especially coastal environments, but these workshops helped me realize how much I enjoy water education in general. They also showed me just how interconnected geology and water really are.”

Caitlyn said that water is connected to all the topics that interest her from erosion and sedimentation to groundwater, watersheds, coastal processes and environmental conservation. “Through hands-on activities, I realized that environmental education was not separate from my interest in geology. Instead, it became a way to bring all of those interests together."

The certification program also transformed Caitlyn's approach to teaching and helped her gain confidence as an educator.

"When I entered the program, I had very little experience and didn't really know what environmental education looked like," she said. "I knew how to talk about my interests and share what I knew, but I didn't know how to structure that knowledge into meaningful lessons.”

Caitlyn says after earning her certification, she feels confident planning lessons and leading groups on environmental topics, both indoors and outdoors. “My public speaking skills have improved tremendously, and I'm much more comfortable answering questions and adapting when things don't go as planned. One of the biggest things I've gained from this program is confidence. I've learned that it's okay to make mistakes, learn from them and keep moving forward."

Beyond teaching skills, Caitlyn says the program also changed the way she views environmental issues.

"Before I started the certification program, and honestly before I even began my degree, I was extremely pessimistic," she said. "I viewed environmental issues as black and white, and everything felt like the end of the world.”

After completing the prerequisite for enrolling in the program, the "Basics of Environmental Education,” she says her perspective began to change. “I realized environmental issues are more like a rainbow. They are complex, and there is hope. There isn't always a single problem, a single solution or one person to blame. There are many perspectives, experiences, and factors to consider.”

She also says that realization has completely changed how she approaches environmental issues, and how she hopes to teach others about them. “As an environmental educator, I want to inspire empathy and compassion while encouraging action and positive change. The topics we teach can be difficult and sometimes overwhelming, especially when it's easy to focus on everything going wrong. But there is still hope, and I want the people I teach to leave feeling empowered to be part of the solution. Hope is incredibly important right now, and I believe environmental education can help create more of it."