Source: tallahassee.com
Tallahassee native Neal George recalls spending many a summer day enjoying the city’s great outdoors.
“My parents would say, ‘OK, that’s enough TV for the day, go outside,’ ” he said. “So I would go.”
All that time spent outside didn’t go to waste. He said it was inspirational for him, leading him to attend Florida State University and graduate with a degree in environmental studies in August 2011.
“Tallahassee has a lot of natural beautiful areas,” George added. “Growing up, I would always hang out in the woods and go to Wakulla Springs. I just feel at ease. I think it’s beautiful — there are a lot of interesting things out there.”
Through the years he’s worked with the Florida Wildlife Federation, Green Industries Institute in Monticello and assisted with private research on the rare Miccosukee gooseberry. With such a passion for the outdoors, George was one of nine students from across the country selected to participate in the Hudson River Park internship program this summer in New York. The internship was done through a partnership with AmeriCorp and the Student Conservation Association.
The SCA receives 15,000 to 16,000 student applications a year to participate in the various programs they partner with, said Kevin Hamilton, SCA vice president of Communications. For this Hudson River internship they received 400 to 500 applications. Continue Reading.