Scholars from OLLU’s TExAS FAST program recently attended the Confluence of Young Conservation Leaders (CYCL) conference at Morgan’s Camp, San Antonio, from Oct. 24-27. The theme of the conference was “Land Stewardship in an Urban Environment,” and the nine OLLU scholars who attended met and stayed with young people from all around the country and learned how to advocate for themselves and the natural world. “Initially I thought everyone was so different, there is no way we would have anything in common,” said TExAS FAST transfer student, Michaela Mendez. “But the common factor was that we are all passionate about making a change in the environment. We all want to see things get better.”
For more than two weeks this summer, students in OLLU’s Environmental Science and Sustainability program were immersed in career-building activities thanks to an ongoing grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). The $5 million grant, received last summer, funds the university’s TExAS FAST (Texas Experiential Learning and Scholarship program for Food and Agricultural Science Training) Scholars Program.
The scholars were able to move into the residence halls early and explore new career pathways through hands-on events and networking opportunities. They participated in resume writing and interviewing workshops, set up LinkedIn profiles, and had professional headshots taken. In addition, USDA conservationists spoke to students about potential internships.
Scholars also had the opportunity to tour the San Antonio Office of Sustainability, meet with the leaders from San Antonio College’s Eco Centro, and visit the San Antonio River Authority’s water treatment facilities. Field trips were arranged for the students. They saw dinosaur tracks and hunted for fossilized ocean creatures on a tour of the Canyon Lake River Gorge. They learned what land stewardship can look like on a guided trip through Bamberger Ranch, where they also got to see an endangered species of African antelope and a cave home to 200,000 Mexican Freetail Bats. They visited the Witte Museum and also bird-watched, tasted edible flora, and swam in the river at Guadalupe River State Park.
The TExAS FAST Scholars spent some time giving back to the community, as well. They prepared the Garcia Street Urban Farm’s fields for fall planting and packaged over 18,000 meals with the San Antonio Food Bank.
In addition to an amazing summer career-building experience, the TExAS FAST Programs provides scholars with two years of free room and board on campus and a $1,000 monthly stipend for 24 months. For more information, visit the TExAS FAST web page and check out the program’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ollu_texasfast/
