Julia Spencer

Julia grew up outside of Denver, Colorado. She found her way to being a place-based educator in the Tetons through seven years of professional and personal experiences, including meandering throughout the Mountain West and benefitting from the mentorship of colleagues and friends. While traveling around North America collecting insects, plants, and soil from 8-foot-deep trenches, she realized that for her, science felt most meaningful when created by, shared with, and participated in by people and communities. This changed her trajectory toward education and inspired her to pursue a degree in Natural Science and Natural Science Education at Teton Science Schools and the University of Wyoming. As an educator at Teton Science Schools she has broadened her focus beyond science while working with graduate students, other educators, and in partnership with Grand Teton National Park, to create, coordinate and implement interdisciplinary programming for youth and adults in the Tetons. Moving forward she wants to continue to work towards education that is inspired by and embedded in place and community.