Understanding Our Place in Nature

“ SCA taught me how to be open to new things." - Justin Holman

Justin Holman enjoyed every moment he spent with the Student Conservation Association. He had the chance to travel to different places within the U.S. such as Colorado, Virginia, Maryland and his home city Washington D.C.

To Justin, SCA is not just an organization, but a place to acquire wisdom and learn.  Justin was first encouraged to join by his English teacher, and he applied not because he had an undying passion for the environment, but because it sounded like fun.  But after being a CLC crew member for four years, Justin’s mind was opened.

The most serious environmental problem Justin discovered was that people weren’t aware of their environment.  He sees the result of ignorance as pollution, littering, people taking advantage of the environment and exploiting it. SCA taught Justin about making life-long decisions, “I now understand my place in nature [and have made choices as result].  I’ve stopped eating meat and became a vegan, and I recycle.  In college I plan on studying the environment or education.”

“SCA taught me how to find confidence in myself and the things I do in life”-Justin Holman
Justin Holman is a seventeen year old high school graduate from Cesar Chavez Public Charter High School for Public Policy. He has been involved with the Student Conservation Association ever since he heard about the program at his school while being a sophomore in 2003. His favorite subject in high school was history and so he plans to pursue a career as a history teacher for high school students by attending Hartford University in Connecticut this fall.
In his spare time he likes to hang out with his friends, play sports, skate board, go hiking, and read his favorite book 1984 by George Orwell, and he also enjoys spending quality time with his family.

He gained so much knowledge and was able to be productive throughout the years he participated in SCA. According to Justin“[SCA] made me a more responsible person; I started to get to know myself more… I found out who I really was, I became open-minded about many things”

The most serious environmental problem Justin discovered was that people weren’t aware of their environment.  He sees the result of ignorance as pollution, littering, people taking advantage of the environment and exploiting it. SCA taught Justin about making life-long decisions, “I now understand my place in nature [and have made choices as result].  I’ve stopped eating meat and became a vegan, and I recycle.  In college I plan on studying the environment or education.”/p>

He has been a member of the Conservation Leadership Corps (CLC) program from 2003-2006 and also the C.O.R.E. program which is an environmental club that SCA founded at his high school. Last year he participated in one of the local DC Green Team programs on the Ft. Circle Trail and this year he re-joined the summer program in a DC crew working at the George Washington Memorial Parkway. Later on this summer he will be going to Saguaro National Monument in August to work with a crew.

 “SCA taught me how to be open to new things.  New foods, different places, new people, and I took in different views and opinions.”  Justin’s advice to organizations and SCA is to get more youth involved in conservation and the environment.  From SCA, Justin learned that “one small thing opens up into a new world.”

We asked Justin what he would say to another kid who is just starting to learn about SCA and his response was, “It’s great! You get to meet nice people from different places of the country. You open up to new opportunities in life, it also teaches you to be more responsible in life for your actions”.

Overall, his experience with SCA was extraordinary and he plans to keep in touch as he’s always done!

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