Six FIU students, all aspiring writers, were selected last fall to take part in a six-week Everglades wilderness expedition in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act. They went on three, daylong trips exploring the prairies, marshes and sloughs of the vast South Florida wetlands area that is both a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an International Biosphere Reserve. They also took a four-day canoe camping trek along the park’s remote Wilderness Waterway.
The students recorded their life-changing experiences in the River of Grass in stories, poems and essays that were posted online. Samples of their work appear below, along with a documentary about their journey in the wild.
The FIU students included: Alexandra Mosquera (journalism), Bryan Palacio (English), Nicole Zummar (communications), Zoraida Pastor (journalism and psychology), Sandeep Varry (global strategic communications) and Alina Rafikova (global strategic communications).
Hover over the popups on students’ images to read about their experiences.
[…] Inspired by the Wilderness: Students’ Everglades journey in poems, essays and stories […]