When I decided during my senior year of high school to apply to be a student in the Cohen Honors College at Wichita State, I had no idea what was in store. I had experienced Honors and Advanced Placement (AP) courses throughout high school, but being an Honors student offered many opportunities beyond just a title.

The Honors College strives to present students with life-changing experiences to grow and excel academically, intellectually, and socially. I was fortunate enough to have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to attend BILL'S Trip through the Honors College to Grand Canyon National Park in January 2025.

BILL'S Trip included a group of 40 other Honors students who participated in several service-learning experiences and discovered what it means to be a servant leader. Some of the service work we participated in included working with the National Parks Service (NPS) through the Albright Training Center and the NPS Plant Nursery.

We got to use the lodging at the training center and utilize their classroom and meeting spaces while at the Grand Canyon. We helped their staff by cleaning, repairing and organizing items in their facilities.

The plant nursery helps replant and revitalize plant species native to the canyon to help regulate invasive species and keep their ecosystems thriving. We helped all over the nursery, and I spent my time helping de-root willow tree starts that were going to be helicoptered into the canyon later that month.

My favorite service activity we engaged in was assisting the staff at the National Parks Service Wildland Fire team. These individuals are dedicated to preserving and protecting the sacred lands in and surrounding the Grand Canyon National Park. After realizing there had been illegal firewood cutting in a sacred indigenous place the firefighters and regulators from Wildland Fire taught us the proper way to help distribute the cuttings to prevent dangerous wildfires. This was such an inspiring experience to be with nature and learn more about the indigenous people from the canyon.

At its core, BILL'S Trip is dedicated to showing students the impact of national parks and the importance of protecting them. We spent time in the classroom learning the history of the NPS, Leave No Trace principles and the importance of exploring nature.

I feel so honored to have been a part of BILL'S Trip and I am so grateful that this opportunity was made possible by the Cohen family after the passing of Bill Cohen – one of the namesakes of the Dorothy and Bill Cohen Honors College. I am now more dedicated than ever to doing my part in protecting nature and wildlife.