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Feven Negussie ’18 is exploring the world and expanding her horizons

“I feel like I can go anywhere, do anything,” says alumna Feven Negussie ’18. She just completed the Glacier Bay Year, a Tidelines Institute Program which brings small groups of students to Alaska for a six-month immersive educational experience. Negussie lived, studied, and worked in rural Alaska alongside five other students, bringing home a newfound sense of her confidence and resilience and a deep respect for the natural world.

Negussie first learned about the program by chance, opening a Tidelines Institute email. She was immediately drawn in, especially by the opportunity to learn firsthand about climate change and healthy ecosystems. After applying for and receiving a scholarship from Tidelines to attend, she departed in May 2022 on the heels of completing her undergraduate degree at Barnard College. 

A two-week kayaking trip in Glacier Bay National Park stands out as a program highlight. She says, “We had to do everything. Navigate, set up tents, find food and water, and totally take care of ourselves. We camped next to breathtaking glaciers and listened in the dark to the owls screech, the wolves howl, and the bears traipsing around in the woods. We found ourselves wet, hungry, physically exhausted, and bugs everywhere. It was exhilarating! I felt like a stronger person at that moment than I have at any other point in my life.” She shared more about her experience and describes being a city girl in the wilderness in an article published this month by Ruralite.

Although a seasoned traveler who has taken many trips, including to Italy and Morocco during her high school years at Pennington, Negussie had never before been on a wilderness adventure nor away from her family and community for such a long stretch. She was looking to reset and knew that this program could be transformational. In characteristically courageous fashion, she sought out the opportunity to challenge herself and embraced the chance to learn and grow.

Much of her self-confidence and love of learning she attributes to her four years as a boarding student at Pennington. Negussie, whose family emigrated to the United States from Eritrea when she was ten years old, describes her experience at the School as life-changing. “I would not be where I am today without Pennington. Teachers like Lisa Houston, who encouraged me to learn about Barnard, and Mark Digiacomo, who helped me so much with my writing and deepened my love for history, made a huge difference in my life.”

At Barnard, Neguessie majored in political science and history, and she believes that the environmental science she learned from her Tidelines program directly serves to deepen her understanding of these studies, explaining “No matter who you are or what you do, climate change impacts everyone and everything. There is so much we gain from a better understanding of it.” As to what’s next for her? Negussie hopes to further her academic and career pursuits focused on the history, languages, and cultures of the Horn of Africa. And, of course, she is already planning her next camping trip!