Get to know Melissa Georgi (she/her), who is our CAP Instructor at Angevine Middle School! Melissa is an outdoor educator, trip guide, forager, and former Park Ranger. Learn more about Melissa below, and read our other staff and board profiles here!
What led you to become an environmental educator?
“Standing on a mountain top overlooking Lake Louise in Banff National Park in Canada, I had an epiphany that I needed to be working in the outdoors. My love of nature drove me to becoming an outdoor educator in my hometown of Santa Barbara… and the rest is history! After that, I became a sea-cave kayaking guide at Channel Islands National Park, and later a guide for REI out in RMNP. After becoming a park ranger, I realized how deeply I miss teaching students about the environment! My goal is to empower them to become our next leaders and protectors of these beautiful natural resources!
Do you have a formative memory of when you learned to love the outdoors?
Collecting Roly-Polies as a kid and making little habitats for them!
How do you like to connect to nature?
I love to forage for mushrooms and connect with the land. I often sit by the creek listening to all the birds. I realized then how lucky I am to live so close to beautiful spaces. I also enjoy tracking wildlife and teaching my friends about the outdoors.
What are your favorite memories so far from leading Cottonwood trips?
Watching kids learn how to build fires and getting ridiculously into the best nature games.
What’s your favorite snack to eat in the woods?
Goldfish- it’s the perfect snack that brings you back to childhood and tastes good any time of day.
What do you do outside of working for Cottonwood?
I love to hike, climb, backpack, read, and explore the woods with friends! I also love spending time with my husband foraging for mushrooms and traveling the world!
What’s an unusual skill people might not know you have?
I can name almost every character in the Harry Potter universe.
We’re so grateful to have Melissa on our team! Follow us for all Cottonwood news this fall:
- Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram
- Join our Facebook CI Alumni group
- Send us your stories of what you have been up to since CI!
