This program provided the unique opportunity of studying and living at the college’s thousand-acre nature preserve. We spent the year conducting ecological field work, studying, and applying principles of environmental education, participating in leadership and program management training, attending national and regional conferences, visiting numerous establishments who were confronting important environmental issues, and teaching prek-12 and adult programs through practicums including one international which took place on the island of Andros in the Bahamas. In addition, a self-directed capstone project was a major portion of the program. My project focused on bringing environmental education into two low-income, project-based learning middle school classrooms. I partnered with two eighth grade science teachers who were struggling with how to bring local environmental issues into their classroom and translate them into a meaningful project for students. During conversations with the students and teachers, it appeared that an issue they cared deeply about was severe flooding facing their city because of the changing climate. Based off this information, I developed a four-week long student-impact project tied to NGSS standards that focused on how to mitigate flooding in their city. The project was centered around native plant rain gardens, which provide many benefits when it comes to flooding. I spent countless days in the classroom with the students teaching lessons and labs about plant reproduction, seed germination, and plant identification. In addition to the teaching, the students created presentations about why their school would benefit from a rain garden. Together, we presented to the school administration and were given approval to move forward. The students constructed a detailed plan for the rain garden which consisted of size, placement, and types of plants that would grow best.