It’s not goodbye, just a “see you later”

By Grace Maxa, Education Coordinator

I first came to NSEA as the summer warmth started to cool in early September, 2021. I had never lived in Washington before and drove across the country to be an Education Coordinator as an AmeriCorps member here. I have now spent four total years working in environmental education with NSEA, and to say I am grateful is a massive understatement. For anyone who has been involved in the work that we do for any given period of time, you know that the community here is like a family. My seasons have revolved around educating thousands of fourth graders in the Students for Salmon program, helping classes raise salmon in their schools, and exploring every inch of NSEA’s campus with both Camp Keystone and our first year of Keystone Preschool.

As my time working in these programs comes to a close, I will wrap it up with this: I will always remember the crisp fall days, laughter from arriving students, their feet crunching on the gravel path towards the park, excitement and energy electric in the air, interns finishing up station set up, and the neighboring stream; constant and flowing towards the next bend in the river, unaware of where the journey will lead, but strong in the knowledge that water will always flow towards home.

Grace will be transitioning from her role at NSEA to start a new position with the City of Bellingham. I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Grace since we started at NSEA as AmeriCorps members together five years ago. Though we will miss her dearly, we are so excited for her to experience this new challenge and growth. We wish you all the best, Grace, and hope you thrive! Megan Adams, Outreach Coordinator