Re-connecting with Nature as a BOPN Intern

Emily is working towards a dual degree at Tufts University: BA in Environmental Studies & Political Science, and BFA in Studio Art and joined us as an intern in the fall of 2024.

by Emily O’Hearn

I applied to intern with BOPN because I’ve always loved working with kids, and was very excited about the opportunity to do so in an outdoor setting. My expectation was that I would get the chance to engage these kids and teach them more about the natural world around them – what surprised me were the ways in which I also had the chance to learn and interact with nature.

Working with the toddler group, I saw many aspects of the outdoors that I find so familiar are fresh and exciting at their young age. Even a walk along a path to our adventure spot is likely to stop many times so that someone can pick up a stick, touch some moss on a rock, or take a long look at a tree.

In my time with BOPN, I’ve had the chance to experience this curiosity about the world secondhand, and it’s changed how I walk in the world on my own time!

I’m much more likely to stop while on a hike with friends—to examine a rock on the trail, take an extra second to appreciate a sunrise on my way to school, and pay more attention to the sounds of the birds in the trees.