I worked as an environmental educator for 3 years in coastal Florida, and I remember taking high schoolers to the beach for the very first time. They lived less than 5 miles from the coast, but they had never seen the ocean. I'll never forget one of the students that was the most disinterested in getting his hands dirty—he wouldn't even take his hands out of his pockets because he didn't want any sand on them. By the end of the semester, he had become so fascinated by the sea turtle nests on the beach that he volunteered to help with the nest evaluations and collect genetic samples from the nests after an emergence (not a tidy job!). His teacher told me that he had become more engaged and participatory in science class, and he had been working hard to improve his grades because he wants to study marine biology in college. That was definitely a defining moment in my decision to commit my life's work to advancing the field of environmental education and igniting students' passion and intrigue in their natural environment.