Salt air. Snorkeling gear. Scalloping season. A little girl in a life vest. A boogie board strapped to her mother’s ankle. A childhood spent in the great outdoors and a core memory of connecting with nature. My name is Anelise Bullard. I’m a fourth-year natural resource conservation student at the University of Florida (UF), and this is the story of the first time I connected with nature and how that experience shaped my future. It was the opening weekend of scalloping season, which meant the Bullards were in Old Town. I was still small enough that I needed a life vest to swim, so scalloping was something I had to wait until I was older to do. My parents could have easily left me on the boat while they scalloped, but instead, my mom took a boogie board and wrapped the velcro strap around her ankle. She brought me with her into the water, told me to hang on, and scalloped with little me in tow. The simple decision to include me and provide me with experiences in nature early in life set me on the path that brought me to where I am today. As I got older, I continued scalloping with my parents and spending my weekends on the water, and they used these moments to teach me valuable lessons. As outdoorsmen and recreationists, we were also conservationists. I was taught to collect any trash that I found while scalloping and bring it back to the boat to be disposed of properly, leaving the sea better than we found it. We also saw many sights over the years, including dolphins playing in the wake of our boat, stingray migrations, sea turtles coming up for air, and more. My parents were keen to remind me that these moments were special because not everyone got to have an outdoor upbringing like me. I recognize that privilege and am honored to have had that access to nature so early on. I look back on these memories fondly and know that they were incredibly influential in shaping who I am and what I want to achieve. I always knew that I wanted to study science. After coming to UF, I discovered the field of science communication and arts-based research. A key lesson I learned from my studies is that there is a disconnect between scientists and the general public, and if we want to solve our modern conservation and sustainability issues, we need to bridge this gap and convince more people to care about the world around them. I feel that science communication is the answer to this problem. As I begin my final semester as an undergraduate student and reflect on the connection I feel to the land and environment, I can see a red string of fate woven through my memories and experiences. One end of the string is tied to my mother’s ankle, the same one that was tied to a boogie board carrying a little girl in a life vest. Following the string, you’ll find it strung through my father’s fishing rod and being cast into deep blue saltwater. The string continues through oceans, rivers, springs, forests, mountains, and valleys, connecting all the natural wonders of the world and all the life found within them. At the end, you’ll finally find the string tied to my pinkie finger as I press on towards my future. I am deeply connected to the land, water, plants, and animals of this earth and am determined to play a part in their preservation, and it all began with a boogie board.