“As a child I found joy digging in the dirt, examining the miracle of life. . . I felt attuned with the cycles of life, my favorite being the spring. During those budding months, I could watch praying mantises lay their egg sacks or collect robin blue eggs shells that had fallen from the nests. This was where I felt a strong connection to the natural cycles of creation. This connection has inspired me to this day. It is a feeling deep with in me that has inspired my passions and pursuits as an environmentalist . . . .”