Sky Island Borderlands Conservation Program

Like Zach, I was initially signed up to go to Mongolia with Round River and only ended up going to the Sky Islands because of Covid. I won't lie, I was apprehensive at first about living in Arizona in the summer and a little disappointed to be studying "abroad" in the US instead of Mongolia. Luckily, it turned out to be one of the most special summers of my life and I'm so glad I chose to go! The image I had in my head of Arizona was a SpongeBobesque wasteland; instead, it was an incredibly beau...

After getting accepted into the Round River program going to Mongolia, and having it get cancelled twice, I did not know what to think about heading down to Arizona. That being said, I went in knowing that I was going to enjoy it, and it definitely did not dissapoint. I absolutely loved everything about the program. The food that we made never dissapointed, every one of the students on the program quickly became some of the best friends that I have ever had, and we got to sleep out under thousan...

Round River is a unique program because it focuses on real-world conservation work and place-based learning. I hadn't taken any biology before this program, and I learned SO much. Every day I knew more about the desert/mountain ecosystem around me and felt more connected to its complexity and beauty. We partnered with a local conservation organization which was amazing because we were doing relevant conservation work on the border. We also thought a lot about the current immigration humanitarian...