Tara Krantz

Growing up in Cleveland, OH, my love for the outdoors began as a child at summer camp, but truly blossomed in my high school Outdoor Leadership program. At 16 I learned backpacking and survival skills, wilderness first aid, and that true friendships are forged outdoors. After a gap year where I explored the South Pacific and Costa Rica, I knew I wanted to study and work in environmental sustainability where I could do my part in helping communities adapt to climate change.

I graduated from Northwestern University in 2021 with degrees in Environmental Science and Spanish and was a leader in Northwestern University Dance Marathon and Alternative Student Breaks. I spent a semester abroad in Ecuador studying tropical ecology through field excursions into ecosystems including the Amazon and the Páramo (high mountain biome). Working with multiple summer camps I spent my summers in college leading multi-day canoeing, backpacking, and biking trips for students between 3rd – 12th grade in northern Wisconsin and Cape Cod. Before coming to Chewonki I spent a year working with the Marin Resource Conservation District in California as a GrizzlyCorps Fellow through a climate action AmeriCorps program. Along with leading a GIS system overhaul I worked with land managers across Marin County to implement carbon sequestration practices on their property.

My education journey has been shaped by experiential education opportunities and place-based learning, and I’m excited to continue learning and contribute to Chewonki through my work with Chloe Kraus-Chen and Megan McOsker in the Maine Coast Semester natural science course.

In my free time I love to hike, read, practice my Spanish, find water to swim in, and cheer on the Cleveland Guardians.