SCA 2007, 2008, 2009
Student, Florida State University | Tallahassee, FL
SCA 2007, Great Smoky Mountains NP
SCA 2008, White Mountains NRA
SCA 2009, Olympic National Park
Sarah’s been here before. Seven years ago, she was SCA’s 50,000th member, attended EarthVision – SCA’s 50th anniversary national youth summit – and was featured on the NBC Nightly News. Today, she’s pursuing her J.D. and hopes to practice environmental law. “I’m interested in defending the environment and people who need a healthy environment to make a living,” she says. We asked Sarah about her SCA experiences.
What is your favorite SCA moment?
Each crew was unique and fabulous and life-changing. In the Smokies, after attending the SCA 50th anniversary ceremony, our crew ate at a little pizza place, our first front-country meal in weeks, and we consumed it with a vengeance before driving up to Clingman’s Dome to stargaze. It was magical.
In Alaska, we shared our front-country living quarters with a contingent of smoke jumpers at the Army base in Fairbanks. We toured the smoke jumper’s hangar and got to walk inside one of the airplanes they would parachute out of into forest fires. The night I had to fly home, we were all crying.
At Olympic, we hiked out of the Hoh Rainforest up into the mountains and actually ended up hiking through SNOW on the Fourth of July. It was amazing and beautiful.
What do you remember about being SCA’s 50,000th member?
We were all so surprised that our crew would have the 50,000th volunteer! By the end of the month I felt like we all earned that celebration for how hard we worked. One of the best things was getting to meet Liz Putnam. She is one of the most inspiring women in this country and one of my biggest heroes.
What would you say to SCA’s 75,000th member?
Lucky you!! I wish I could be out there with you building trails and cooking trail food! Keep working hard and working for the SCA, and whatever you do, never forget your time on the trail. I have written about SCA in every college application, law school application, scholarship application, and job I’ve applied for. I wish every teenager was able to have that experience in the wild.
See Sarah and her SCA Great Smokies crew on the NBC Nightly News.