Sophia Erlsten
As a child growing up in Long Island, NY, beautiful wooded areas surrounded my home. I spent most of my time walking through the woods, climbing trees and watching wildlife. I experienced nature as if it were a friend that I could visit with everyday. When I was still young my family and I moved to the New York City borough, Queens. Since Queens consists of densely populated living areas, major highways and man–made parks, I struggled to keep my beloved friendship with nature. But soon I learned how to relax and smile when the sun hit my face and I learned that solace was as close as looking up at the artistic masterpiece in the sky.As I grew older, I realized that not everyone shared my love for the natural world and this motivated me to protect it from disappearing altogether. I joined the environmental club at my high school, where I learned about issues impacting the environment and nonhuman animals and became part of the solution. Once I experienced humane education, I kept looking for it, without success, throughout my educational career. I became frustrated with the quality of my education and hopeless about the career I would pursue after graduation from college.
Then, during my last semester of college, I decided to attend a Sowing Seeds Workshop to find out more about humane education. Within the first five minutes of the workshop, I was fighting off tears because I realized that I had found my calling as part of a movement for educational, cultural and social change. Shortly after enrolling in IHE’s Master’s program, I fell in love with the books on effective and humane educational reform assigned in the “Introduction to Humane Education” course. I started dreaming about founding a K–12 humane education school that would do more than simply depend on individuals to educate themselves about the world’s problems and work for change, the school would help students develop their compassion, responsibility, action and leadership. Today, I am working on an Independent Learning Project (ILP) that will help me make my dream school a reality.
Outside of school, my role as a humane educator has been most prominent in my Central Florida community, where I have been developing and running humane education centers at community festivals. At the centers I offer fun, interactive workshops and displays, information on issues affecting humans, animals and the planet, teaching/home schooling materials and information about IHE’s programs. I have developed a guide to running a humane education center at community venues for other humane educators around the world.
While most of my free time is spent volunteering for human and animal rights and environmental causes, I enjoy several hobbies with my partner, Steve. Our favorite hobbies include visiting animal sanctuaries, growing and cooking our own organic vegan food, playing board games and spending time with our two lovable feline companions.
Most Good & Least Harm Talk by Zoe Weil - Orono, Maine
March 16, 2010 - 2:00 pm | Location: University of Maine - Orono (100 Neville Hall)
Please join us for an inspiring talk with Zoe Weil at the University of Maine in Orono. Co-sponsored by the Peace Studies and Sociology departments. Learn about the ways in which your everyday choices, your work, your activism, and your volunteerism can do the most ...
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March 16, 2010 - 2:00 pm | Location: University of Maine - Orono (100 Neville Hall)
Please join us for an inspiring talk with Zoe Weil at the University of Maine in Orono. Co-sponsored by the Peace Studies and Sociology departments. Learn about the ways in which your everyday choices, your work, your activism, and your volunteerism can do the most ...
Read More