My name is Alex Frazier, and I am a rising second-year post-graduate student at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. This summer, I was fortunate enough to work with the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, where I helped establish policy and procedures for environmental stewardship programs like the Park Ranger Career Development Program, the Virginia Service and Conservation Corps, and the Youth Conservation Corps in Western and Southwestern Virginia.

I first became interested in the idea of social innovation as a Fellow in the Virginia Management Fellowship Program, which works in conjunction with the Governor's Office. During a rotational assignment with the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), I had the pleasure of working with the Youth Conservation Corps Program (YCC), an environmental stewardship program for teenagers. I experienced, firsthand, the profound impact of Virginia’s southwest outdoors on the participants.

This summer, I had a hybrid schedule that allowed me to interact with natural resource experts in the office, in addition to traveling to different parks to meet with park managers and learn about their communities. While visiting the various parks, I observed how working in nature bolstered the self-confidence of program participants and simultaneously encouraged a life-long commitment to service; service to nature, service to preservation, and service to the future. Much to my chagrin, I was unable to join any of the programs.

I used my experiences in the office and in the field to help DCR construct policies aimed at supporting these environmental programs. I am thankful for the support provided by the Tadler Fellowship. I hope we can all grow to appreciate the outdoors a little more, and our Virginia State parks are a wonderful place to start.