Nevada Outdoor School

My name is Crystal Rodriguez and I am a second-year member serving at Nevada Outdoor School.

 

Serving another year with NOS, I have been given the role of lead naturalist which comes with more responsibilities. I make sure to take more initiative in and out of the office, I help new naturalist members learn the ropes, and I apply new skills I have gained from the past year into this year. I have enjoyed passing on some tips and tricks to our newer naturalist as well as learning things from her as well. That is my favorite part of the job, regardless of how long everyone has been with NOS, we still learn new things by doing research, going out to different events and trainings, or just learning from each other in the office. 

I feel like I am gaining so much more than just service hours, I’m developing new skills every day even though I have been serving for almost two years. I have been enjoying my second year as much as my first year, if not more. 

Since I have been with NOS, I have been able to get over my fear of public speaking, become more of a leader and utilize quick problem-solving techniques. With all the recent events, I have been a little disappointed with having less time to be out teaching, but I am so grateful for the time I had with every single kid. It is also the perfect opportunity to try something new this year and provide an alternative to teaching in the classroom. 

 

This has been such an amazing and impactful experience and although I am sad to let it go, I am excited about what comes next. 

After I complete my service in the fall, I plan to join the AirForce and take some classes so that after my service, I can go to dental school where I plan to become a Pediatric Dentist.

-Crystal Rodriguez