River Steward Reflection

This past semester, the Junior 2013 cohort has been working hard to decide on a worthy project we will pursue for senior year. Our group has done a good job of voicing opinions and also compromising to choose a project that we can all be proud of and one that focuses on the mission of the Rivers Institute. I thank the 2012 cohort for doing a supurb job on executing their project, RecBikes, and really inspiring us to make our presence known on campus. I am also so grateful for all that I have learned through mini course and the program. Without this knowledge, I wouldn't even know what issues could be addressed through a senior project. I now feel like we are prepared to use what we have been learning to help others learn as well.
I am also realizing that the people I have met through River Stewards have become some of my closest friends on campus. I truly love how we all interact during our Friday mini course, but also my interactions with stewards outside of the program. I sat next to fellow stews, Allie and McLean in my environmental policy class, and we all did a project together which focused on pollution due to hydraulic fracturing. I really enjoyed working with these girls outside of stewards on a topic that related to things we had learned in stewards. I also had the opportunity to lead REAL Dayton breakout with AJ and Gretchen and absolutely loved hanging out with them outside of class. It was so great to work with stewards in other cohorts because I really hadn't had that opportunity. And now I look forward to living with five other stewards in a sustainability house next year. These are just some of the connections I have made with other stewards and I hope for more to come in the future as we add another cohort to our family. Being a River Steward has meant so much to me in my time at UD and I know that the qualities I am learning through the program and through the Fitz Center will help me in my future career and life.

Merry Christmas!
Nicole