We asked our Merry Lea alumni what they were up to and over 25 of them responded. See who's got owls in the classroom, who knows how to make cabbage steaks, who married a man whose property she remembers canoeing past with the Sustainability Leadership Semester...and more. Also read about our new nature preschool.
News & Updates
Gascho receives Howard Michaud Award
Luke Gascho, former director of Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center of Goshen College, is the recipient of the 2019 Howard Michaud Award. The Environmental Education Association of Indiana announced the selection November 1 at McCor mick’s Creek State Park during their annual conference.
Immigration lawyer brings new lens to policy course
Laura Pontius, Albion, Ind., has found her legal career moving increasingly toward public education. This fall, her speaking gigs will include teaching Environmental Policy and Politics in Merry Lea’s Sustainability Leadership Semester (SLS).
Merry Lea prepares to host nature preschool
This September, a forest clearing near Merry Lea’s Kesling Wetland will be home to a nature preschool four days per week. Tree trunks will serve as seats and an open shelter will keep off the rain.
Summer 2019
Six students completed our Agroecology Summer Intensive this year. Learn about the varied interests and career paths that inspire students to study sustainable food systems. Also take a cross-property hike with the master's students or consider signing your child up for the new nature preschool that Merry Lea will host.
Olivia Downey, ‘22
Imagine you were kept in the same room 24 hours a day with nothing in particular to do except eat. Human beings would experience a rapid decline in both physical and mental health under these circumstances. Most farm animals live limited lives like this.
Stephen Lowe, ‘21
Stephen Lowe approaches agriculture with an appreciation for the complexity of the profession and an educator’s eye.
Cailin Smith, ‘21
What’s a molecular biology and biochemistry major doing in Merry Lea’s Agroecology Summer Intensive (ASI)? Cailin Smith, a rising junior from Knightstown, Ind., says she joined the group because a lot of biochemical research is agricultural.
Heather Gabel, ’21
One of the gifts a liberal arts school like Goshen College offers its students is the freedom to explore and connect multiple disciplines. Heather Gabel, a rising junior from Orange City, Iowa, has taken full advantage of this opportunity.
Lily Kauffman, ’21
Lily Kauffman, a rising junior from Mountain Lake, Minn., has a wide range of hands-on interests. She knows she enjoys being with plants and working outdoors but is still weighing her options regarding a major.
Public Electric Vehicle Charging Station at Merry Lea
