Cinthia Cantu, Sophomore, Houston East End Greenbelt GreenSchools! Green Ambassador and STEAM Lab Proctor - The Green Institute- Furr High School; Renewable Energy Pathway, Energy Efficient Pathway
Something that inspired me to be part of the Houston East End
Greenbelt movement was the passion of the members to work outside with the
land. That inspired me because I come from a family where they worked the
agricultural fields harvesting cotton, beans and corn. To me the work was
really impressive, the intense physical rigor of the occupation and the
numerous hours experienced on the fields.
I was really happy to witness that many
students and people were inspired to grow their own food, plant fruit trees and
to work outside with fresh air. When I saw people working outside with love, I
knew at that moment I was going to take part of the movement. What keeps me
active is knowing the benefits that will come such as better air, better
health, better eating habits and better knowledge to share with other people.
Most important is that you get to work
outside and engage with people and students with different ideas that could
become the next big project. One thing that I really like about GreenSchools!
is that all of the people you get to know become like family, we think the same
way so we create productive choices. Another thing I really like, is that you
get to work with little kids that still have the chance to make a habit of
enjoying their day outside instead of inside with an electronic device.
I have seen people from planting trees to
picking up trash on the beaches of Galveston. Some reasons I keep moving
forward with the East End Greenbelt movement is the willing of people wanting
to learn more about nature. In all
of the trainings I have been able to participate, I have seen with my own eyes
how enthusiastic parents, teachers and principals get when they witness the
students interact with nature. Sometimes you just have to step outside and
you will observe how easy it is to entertain students with nature, while at the
same time connecting their experiences to STEAM and their school academics.
It is important to unify for this cause
more than ever because it is good for the earth, our health, ourselves and are
family. We know many who suffer with diabetes, high or low blood pressure and
other illnesses.The food is the problem and the solution.
Planting fruit trees and creating a food forest for both humans and nature is
our prime mission. It’s on us to do something about it. The overall message I
want to give is that….we the young ones need to take action because it is our
future and we should fight for it and without working together, it will not be
possible. We have been blessed to have strong supporters such as the U.S.
Forest Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, our school
administration and the backing of our school district.
Through this movement, I was able to gain
insight of the career I plan to study, which is Hydrology at Stephen F. Austin
State University. I choose this career because I want to help with the water
problems we have at Houston and other places in the nation and around the
world. I was able to explore Hydrology while I visited Stephen F. Austin State
University during our annual summer Youth in Nature Leadership Challenge with
the Friends of the National Forests and Grasslands in Texas –Latino
Legacy. The summer program took us
on a week journey to explore careers in natural resources and network with
professors and professionals from the industry. At the time, I wasn’t
documented. I don’t have full citizenship as of yet, just permission to work in
the U.S. I nor my family have access to such programs and I am the first in my
family to finish high school and graduate from university. This is one of the
main reasons why I enjoy the program, it allows for students like me and others
to seek out their passion regardless of their background, it embraces all.
Instead of looking at the negativity of my status, it pushed me to keep moving
forward. If the movement ends, I would make sure to start a new one because
this is a program that should never run out of passion. If the program was able
to be sustained by partnerships, it would be great because we really need
support from the industry and partners to make this movement happen. If the
program expanded, I would be overwhelmed with happiness and you can count on me
to help create the leaders of tomorrow.
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