One year ago today, I was packing my bags for the Spring Patagonia 2025 semester. Last week, I was packing my bags to go on a ski trip in Bozeman, Montana with a few of the good friends I made from the program. If you had told me a year ago that this is what my life would look like after the program, I’m not sure I would’ve believed it. The program allowed me to build life-long friendships, connections, and have a shared understanding of a beautiful semester in Patagonia. 

Reflecting on the semester in Patagonia, there are many stories that come to mind which contributed to the life-changing experience that I have come to understand it to be. I feel that I would be doing an injustice to speak on a single story, because to me, it was the sum of them all that gave me the experience that I am able to carry with me everyday. I could write about the many intricacies of what made this semester special to me, and I could share stories that elaborate into a crescendo of the pinnacle of my semester. However, what I carry with me today and have carried since the program ended, is hope. 

The most important thing that I want to convey about my time with Round River is that it helped me gain an extraordinary amount of hope. I have come to realize that in the world of conservation, that might be one of the most important things. To have hope that our actions can make a difference, hope that the connections we build will sustain, hope for a future that will allow us to continue to be educated and educate others, and to continue carrying hope into our everyday lives. My semester with Round River instilled such hope through my time connecting with locals, connecting with peers, and connecting with the land beneath my feet.