I love National Parks. I have always gone on road trips with my family to visit them in the summer, and it is there that I feel completely at home. But, sadly, not everything that one loves is beneficial to everyone. As I worked on my research paper for my US history class on National Parks, I began to read about the exploitation of Native Americans who lived on the land of Yellowstone before it was Yellowstone as we know it today. I remember feeling a wash of sadness when finding this out because places that I loved and cared about so deeply hurt others at one point in time. They exploited the Native Americans in the area and eventually burned down their homes.

I have always been passionate about environmental justice ever since attending Maine Coast Semester in the spring of my junior year. And when writing my research paper, it was just a reminder of the ways in which even something as pure and good hearted as conservation has an evil side.

I strive to continue to educate myself about the social, economic, and ecological impacts of every decision and not forget to leave certain pieces out of the picture.