Reflections of a High School Intern
In the following essay, Harris Center intern, former Lab Girl, and ConVal High School senior, Maeve Finn reflects on the many different ways the Harris Center has helped inspire and motivate her to consider a career in the natural sciences.
Maeve (left) learns about mammals in a Harris Center program at ConVal (photo © Ben Conant)
I’m fortunate enough to have grown up in New Hampshire, and much of my motivation to preserve the woods and waters I’ve come to love stems from the Harris Center. I struggle to articulate my immense respect and admiration for their staff, grounds, and message, and how I hope to reflect these values in my future endeavors.
The Harris Center and its effects on our community are quite powerful. Often, we forget about nature and its beauty in our daily lives, but the Harris Center is brimming with this sense of magic. From their immersive camps to LAB GIRLS+ to sitting alongside them in their office space as an intern, I’m delighted by how far I’ve come through my connections with this wonderful organization.
As I grow older, much has changed — and I’m often disheartened by the lack of progress on the climate crisis. But knowing the Harris Center continues to make a positive impact on our community and our natural world makes my heart swell with determination. The values I live by were largely shaped by my experiences there, and my goal is to make them proud as I pursue a career in biology.
The staff has supported me in my aspiration to become an ornithologist, and I hope I can better our environment for future generations to enjoy. LAB GIRLS+ showed me that a career in science is possible, and attending Harris Center programs throughout my education in the ConVal school district helped inspire that dream. I feel a deep responsibility to the Harris Center’s teachers and students to continue carrying the torch of environmentalism and discovery into the future.
Maeve and the homeschool kids explore the frog pond together during her internship this spring (photo © Susie Spikol)
Maeve Finn participating in the Harris Center’s LAB GIRLS+ program (photo © Ben Conant)
Maeve Finn clowning around with the homeschool kids during her internship (photo © Susie Spikol)
Your Gift Makes a Difference
Afterschool programs like LAB GIRLS+ and Yeti Club, as well as environmental education in nearly 40 schools throughout the Monadnock Region, are made possible by generous supporters like you. Your donation helps connect more children to nature, protects more open space, and provides both the young and the “young at heart” with more opportunities to explore the great outdoors. All donations are tax-deductible. Please consider making a gift to the Harris Center today.
An aerial view of the site plan showing the new Open Lodge (low-center), the existing Harris Center building (upper right), and new hardscaped pathways between the two.
A rendering of the interior of the Open Lodge.
