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Every acre tells a story—and for Holly Erickson, that story began years ago as a young Cincinnati Nature Center camper wandering the trails, discovering bugs under logs, and learning the names of the birds overhead.
What she didn’t know then was that those simple moments would grow into a passion that shaped her life.
As Holly moved into her teen years, she dove deeper into the Nature Center community. She volunteered on weekends, completed her Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalist (OCVN) training, and helped plan Teen Conservation Summits. Along the way, she found Nature Center mentors who encouraged her curiosity and gave her real responsibility.
“Thank you for giving me my start in conservation and naturalist-related work,” Holly recently wrote to Connie O’Connor, our Director of Applied Learning. “I learned so, so much through the OCVN program and the summits. They were a wonderful opportunity to network early and work with like-minded teens.”
Those early skills—observing, leading, collaborating—followed her to college. Now a current student at The Ohio State University’s School of Environment and Natural Resources, Holly has already logged nearly 1,000 volunteer hours. She bands birds, trains other students, and coordinates volunteers on a West Nile Virus research project.
“I’m working with birds now, just like I had been hoping,” she wrote. “Because of the Nature Center, I’ve had jobs in field ornithology every summer and even during the school year. It’s kind of crazy to think back to where I started and where I am now.”
For Connie, hearing from Holly was a powerful reminder of the long-term impact these programs can have. “Holly was always an exceptionally mature and focused teen. Hearing where she is now is so encouraging—and it shows how much our summer camps and youth volunteer program truly matters.”
As Holly applies for out-of-state field positions to expand her skills even further, she carries with her the foundation she built at Cincinnati Nature Center—hours spent volunteering, mentors who guided her, and a place that nurtured her love for the natural world.
