Category: Personal Stories

Taewon is a senior at the University of Illinois, majoring in Human Development and Family Studies. Drawing from her personal experiences, she strongly believes in the vital role of nature, especially for children and families. Whenever she travels back to her home country, South Korea, Taewon enjoys spending time with her family in nature. One of her favorite moments in nature is taking walks around the lake and beach. Given that both of her parents have recently taken a break from work due to health issues, Taewon observes that they sometimes struggle with how to fill this sudden void and emptiness. However, she has noticed that nature has become a source of strength for her parents. Despite facing health challenges, they engage in daily hikes or walks, and the time spent in nature seems to fill their moments with a sense of health and happiness. Through this, Taewon has come to realize that nature not only has a positive impact on children and adolescents but also provides significant benefits to adults, especially retirees and the elderly. Taewon has discovered that nature, often unnoticed, has a strong positive influence on us, and she expresses gratitude for this in every moment.

Nature is calming and beautiful. What is there not to fall in love with? There is nothing like
getting out of my room, which is filled with homework, anxiety, and being overwhelmed. I can
escape all of that when my face feels the breeze or the hot sun outside. There is just nothing
like going for a walk and momentarily forgetting all your worries.

It takes me back to when I was young, electricity was limited, so we only had it mostly when
it turned 6 pm. So before 6pm, when our phones were dead, we all went on walks, ran races
and talked. I was so happy.

“ My family always were outdoorsy, but it really ramped up once we moved out to Denver.”

            This will also be the start of our adventure. When Mackenzie moved to Denver, Colorado she learned what nature truly had to offer. Yes, Illinois does have some beautiful locations, but it is futile when comparing it to the Rocky Mountains. Once you hit thirty minutes to Denver the world opens up to you. The mountains slowly come from the shadows and once in full view perfectly outline the city of Denver.

            Her time In Denver involved lots of hiking and backpacking all across those mountains. Her family took every opportunity they had to explore and see all he different natural sights that Denver had to offer. Mackenzie told me about how calming it was to be away from the city. “Sometimes you start to get numb to the commotions of living in the suburbs of Denver. Just sitting out on a glacier lake and letting your mind sit empty really is healing,” She recounted countless times she would take the time out there to self-reflect and really think about what was really important to her in her life.

            Now she’s back in Champaign but hopes to one day to get back out to Denver. For now, though to keep nature close to her heart she has gotten into paddle boarding recently.  She sent me a video of her out in the middle of a calm lake, and I think that scene has some equivailance to Denver.

Lauren is a student at U of I and she studies Molecular and Cellular Biology! An Illinois native, her appreciation for nature has been influenced from her outdoorsy parents. Her father works outdoors at an arboretum and she often went camping, hiking, and doing other outdoor activities while growing up. She believes that the innate human desire to spend time in nature fuels her love for it as well! Moreover, she believes everyone needs a balance between spending time indoors and outdoors and that this is essential to maintain a healthy lifestyle!