UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Through hands-on, immersive experiences, Student Engagement and Experiential Discovery (SEED) Semester at Penn State has helped launch careers and cultivate interest for students as park naturalists, environmental educators, classroom teachers, and park researchers and managers.
At Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center a couple days each week during the spring semester, students take courses and learn from experienced outdoor educators, team building facilitators and naturalists to gain a holistic set of outdoor leadership skills. With programming run by the Department of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management, students learn about natural history interpretation, environmental education methods, and recreation and park management.
This past spring, Penn State students delved into these real-world experiences in relation to their aspiring career fields.
From SEED Semester to leading outdoor recreation experiences
Designing and teaching lessons at The Arboretum at Penn State, building interpretive materials and pop-up exhibits, and collecting data in outdoor spaces, Austin Summers dug into real-world field work as part of his SEED Semester experience.
Graduating with a bachelor of science degree in recreation, park, and tourism management in spring 2026, Summers is pursuing a career in outdoor recreation, a role that combines trip leading and environmental education. This August, Summers served as a leader for AURORA, Penn State’s award-winning outdoor orientation program that offers backpacking and community service experiences for incoming first-year and transfer students.
SEED Semester is where Summers developed leadership skills in an outdoor recreation setting that he uses today.
“My favorite part of SEED Semester was getting to apply what we were learning right away,” Summers said. “Instead of asking about interpretation or environmental education, we got to teach the lessons, interact with visitors and figure things out in real time. Being at Shaver's Creek Environmental Center and working in a hands-on setting made everything feel more relevant and helped me build confidence in what I'm doing.”
Summers said SEED Semester taught him how to take information and turn it into something that connects with people while creating meaningful experiences — things he actively does as a leader for AURORA.
“I would absolutely recommend the SEED semester to anyone interested in environmental education, interpretation, or working in parks and outdoor recreation,” Summers said. “It gives you a chance to build real experience instead of just learning concepts in a classroom. You get to try things, make mistakes and improve, which is the most valuable part. It is a good way to figure out what you're interested in and what you're good at before going into an internship or job.”
Laying a foundation in outdoor recreation and park management
Fourth-year recreation, park, and tourism management student Sophia Radzwich aspires to work in outdoor recreation and education — perhaps as a park ranger for the National Park Service. For her, SEED Semester is an experience that will support her career goals by giving her a foundation in environmental education.
During SEED Semester, Radzwich worked on identifying trees and birds while creating graphics and art installations. She even received firsthand experience as an environmental educator by teaching children who were on field trips.
“There are so many creative and interactive ways to inspire and educate others when outside,” Radzwich said. “SEED Semester has taught me how to design interpretive signs to catch people's eyes and keep them intrigued, how I can teach and interpret for a group of people ranging in age, and what it might look like to manage a park or recreational and educational space.”
Radzwich said her favorite part about SEED Semester was having class at Shaver's Creek Environmental Center while immersing herself in nature through educational opportunities.
“I would recommend SEED Semester because it is a unique college experience,” Radzwich said. “SEED connects you to a group of students that have similar interests, which creates a tight-knit community. It is also a welcoming space that gives opportunity to learn and grow alongside your peers in a fun and beneficial way.”
A beginning in environmental education
Pursuing a major in both biology and history and a minor in sustainability leadership, fourth-year student Lilianna Hug is interested in a career in environmental education. SEED Semester provided her with new opportunities to practice teaching skills in a variety of settings.
“I had a wide diversity of experiences in SEED, including learning about bird, amphibian and tree identification and natural history,” Hug said. “We had multiple teaching experiences, where we had opportunities to educate both elementary school students and our peers. We also spent time producing interpretive materials, such as exhibits, for a variety of different contexts.”
During SEED Semester, students gain skills in professionalism, communication, collaboration, teamwork and public speaking — which will all be impactful for Hug as she launches her career after graduating from Penn State.
Hug said her favorite part of SEED Semester was meeting a cohort of people with similar interests and passions while spending time at Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center and having the opportunity to take classes taught primarily outside.
“I would recommend SEED Semester to students who are interested in learning more about Pennsylvania natural history, as well as to those who are considering pursuing environmental education and interpretation,” Hug said. “SEED Semester is about building connections between people and the natural world, and I would recommend SEED Semester to students who want to learn more about the intersections between nature, people and place.”
About SEED Semester
The forests, fields and creeks of Penn State’s outdoor education field lab, Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center, become students’ classrooms for an experiential journey of outdoor leadership and environmental interpretation courses. Students engage in real-world, hands-on experiences, teaching children and families about the natural world while working alongside experienced outdoor educators, team building facilitators and naturalists to gain a holistic set of outdoor leadership skills.
The SEED experience and courses are taught both on campus and at Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center. Students who are interested in this recreation, park and tourism management program should speak with their academic adviser.