a group of people pet a turtle

Students interact with a box turtle during an Animal Encounter at the Robins Nature Center in Maymont. Photo: Sean Heisey

We are celebrating a successful event! It has been about three months since the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay hosted 24 students and faculty from five of Virginia’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs). From Friday , March 27 to Sunday, March 29, participants from Hampton University, Norfolk State University, Old Dominion University, Virginia Commonwealth University and Virginia State University gathered across locations in Richmond including Richmond City Hall Observation Deck, Robins Nature Center at Maymont, and Roslyn Conference & Retreat Center to build connections across the James River watershed. This was the Alliance’s first time hosting the event in Virginia. Prior Summits have engaged HBCUs and MSIs from Maryland and Washington, DC.

The three goals of the VA Summit were:

  • Discover, share, and strategize relevant career pathways in environmental fields that draw from multiple disciplines.
  • Build a community of self-actualized scientists/scholars who support one another in spaces that are both academic and highly personal.
  • Highlight environmental and community engagement initiatives on and near HBCU and MSI campuses in the region.

Miekiah Buster, a Biology major at NSU, summed up her experience during the Summit, saying “Thank you for all of the hard work you did to give us students the incredible opportunity to learn more about the Chesapeake Bay watershed and environmental career fields. This summit was by far the best and most well-rounded conference I have been to since starting college. Most of the time, professional development conferences focus on corporate workspaces and health care. It was amazing to have a conference just for the environmental career fields and put my networking skills to practice.”

two people stand in front of a tall building

Alliance staff Jenny McGarvey and Emma Gregory ready to welcome students outside of Richmond’s City Hall. Photo: Sean Heisey

Follow along below to see what the students’ experienced over the three-day event alongside Alliance staff members, guest speakers, and university faculty.

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Norfolk State University students checked in and ready to go, standing with Dr. Ashley Haines, who served on the Summit Steering Committee.

 

Exploring Career Paths

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Michael Smart from Richmond’s Office of Sustainability and Qui Nguyen from Richmond’s Department of Parks, Recreation & Community Facilities kick off the event on the Observation Deck. Photo: Sean Heisey

four people speak on a panel

A Community Showcase Panel moderated by VCU faculty member, Shruti Syal, gave students a chance to hear from Richmond organizations that work at the intersection of urban planning and the environment. Photo: Sean Heisey

two people speak to each other

NSU Biology major Miekiah Buster, networks with keynote speaker, Jazmin Albarran from Seed Your Future. Photo: Sean Heisey

a person speaks next to a screen

Dr. Zach Laney, Veterinary Intern and Jess Ransier from the Wildlife Center of Virginia engaged the audience with hopeful stories of animal rehabilitation including a successful turtle eye surgery. Photo: Sean Heisey

a group of people sit at a table and listen to a speaker

Frank Johnson Jr. from the Northern Neck Soil & Water Conservation District inspires students with his personal career story and the importance of local leadership.

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During a break, students connect with Dr. Ashley Haines, Norfolk State University and learn about research opportunities offered by her lab. Photo: Sean Heisey

a speaker presented to a room of people

Closing plenary speaker, Cirse Gonzalez, gave an engaging presentation about her career journey and encouraged students to become “boundary spanners” to emphasize the importance of community engagement in environmental work.

 

Connecting with the Bay & Each Other

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Students and faculty work together to discover how they are connected using puzzle piece hexagons in an opening activity for the Summit. Photo: Sean Heisey

two people look of a window of a tall building

Students gather on the Observation Deck, (18th Floor of City Hall) to take in a bird’s eye view of the James River watershed. Photo: Sean Heisey

a group of people listen to a speaker

Rachel Payter, local tour guide, provided a cultural and historical perspective of Richmond from above, offering a unique view of the watershed! Photo: Sean Heisey

people gather around a fire pit at night

It is impossible to capture the connections made during an evening around a bonfire. Students, Alliance staff and faculty had a chance to slow down, enjoy s’mores, and view the night sky. Photo: Sean Heisey

people play cards around a table

Summit attendees play rounds of cards and did crafts in the evening during down time. This part of the Summit was built-in intentionally to allow everyone the chance to unwind, be themselves and make new friends. Photo: Sean Heisey

Like the last Summit, students connected not only as future professionals, but as people who care about the Chesapeake Bay. Students left with new friends, hope for the Bay’s future, and excitement to come back.

 

Being in Nature

people pose for a group photo

An outdoor scavenger hunt along a mossy green trail outside was a great break and reminded students of the type of hands-on learning that can be done as an environmental educator.

For the education and betterment of ourselves and the planet, it’s vital that people are both educated on and shown the beauty of the Earth. Students and staff also had the opportunity to engage in outdoor activities like a scavenger hunt along a nature trail. In the photo above, Summit attendees, led by Alliance staff member, Meredeth Dash, received an index card attached to a popsicle stick with a phrase such as “Evidence of an animal’s home” or “High level of sunlight here.” As they walked the trail, students placed their cards, marking those spots. On the way back, they would stop at each marked spot and hold a discussion. Trails walks are a great way to slow down, make observations and connect science to the outdoors.

 

Robins Nature Center at Maymont

When Summit attendees arrived at Maymont, they had free time to explore the Robins Nature Center which includes multiple displays and exhibits about the ecology of the James River. Students had the chance to participate in animal encounters and see enrichment activities with Maymont’s two river otters, Louis and Nola. Interacting with wildlife in a hands-on and interactive way gave new meaning to careers in the museum and wildlife fields.

 

Building Momentum for the Work

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Delegate Alex Askew representing the 95th District of VA (parts of Norfolk and Virginia Beach) reminded students in his remarks, “You belong in this space” and then spent time chatting with students and taking a group photo. Photo: Sean Heisey

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Shruti Syal and students from Virginia Commonwealth University laughing together during the Design Your Life activity. Students used this activity to plan out two different life path scenarios and gather peer feedback using inspiration from what they learned at the Summit. Photo: Sean Heisey

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Dr. James Vonesh, VCU, facilitates the Design Your Life activity based on the work of Stanford professors, Bill Burnett and Dave Evans.

The impact of attending the VA HBCU/MSI Summit is not necessarily reflected in the number of attendees or even the end of event surveys. The impact of the Summit is felt in the shared experiences of the students, in the high fives, hugs and selfies that were exchanged before people drove home, and more importantly, in days and weeks after through follow up emails and notes received from the guest speakers, students and faculty. One student remarked, “I thank you for such a wonderful experience and a chance to connect with others in the biology field and with nature!”

Another wrote, “I also wanted to thank you and your team again for all the effort you put into the summit, it was such a great experience. It was my first time attending an event like that since coming to college, and I am incredibly grateful I could join, especially free of cost! It helped me understand the direction I want to take in relation to the environmental field better, and I loved getting to meet you all.”

two people smile for a selfie

Norfolk State student Arlo H. and Alliance staff member, Meredeth Dash wanted to capture the final moments of the Summit with a selfie.

By providing the time and space to promote conversations among students and faculty, the Summit acts as a catalyst for growing engagement in the environmental field, making it all the more important to continue this work. We can’t wait to see what future Summits have to offer!

This year’s Summit would not have been possible without the tireless efforts of the Steering Committee and generous support of our sponsors, and multiple host venues including the City of Richmond’s Observation Deck, Maymont and the Roslyn Conference & Retreat Center. Special thanks to Chayil from Black Pepper Photography for taking headshots for students and to Roots Natural Kitchen for catering lunch on Friday. Thank you to our university partners Hampton University, Norfolk State University, Old Dominion University, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Life Sciences & Sustainability, and Virginia State University. And of course, a final thank you to our attendees for sharing their passion for the environment with us. It was a joy to see you all making “connections across the watershed!”

Thank you to all university faculty who served on the Summit Steering Committee

See more photos from the Summit

See the Summit program