Special Project
Love Your Lake Intiative
With the help of a graphic design intern, I developed this graphic, concentrating on how it would look on banners, signs, printed canvas bags, and stickers.
This initiative is an example of how I integrate learning design into the programs offered through Paddle-N-More. As a long-time educator, I believe in adding educational depth to recreational experiences — even those tied to guided kayak trips. For me, the value lies not just in paddling itself, but in creating experiences that build environmental awareness, foster community connections, and support personal growth.
The Love Your Lake Initiative turned that belief into reality. It took nearly a year of planning — writing the grant, meeting with local leaders, shaping the learning experience, and designing the program’s identity through graphics and marketing. Because of my ability to communicate effectively with grantors by connecting theory to outcomes, I was able to secure a $15,000 grant to fund the initiative.
This section also demonstrates my ability to create infographics for reporting and marketing purposes. Below you will find an example infographic created for the program’s final report. This not only reflects my ability to design complexity into learning programs, but also shows the importance of visual communication in both promoting initiatives and delivering clear, compelling outcomes to stakeholders.
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Learn more below.
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Three environmental education interns paddling on the lake with the “Love Your Lake” banner displayed in the background, which was designed and printed to promote the program and raised every Tuesday during the initiative.
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To bring the Love Your Lake Initiative to life, I hired and trained three environmental education interns. Their training went beyond learning how to conduct guided kayak trips — it included storytelling, environmental interpretation, and techniques for sparking behavior change to protect local waterways. Each intern learned to weave environmental insights into their tours, transforming a simple paddle into a powerful educational experience.
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As part of the program, interns also designed and distributed educational pamphlets, handed out stickers, and gave every participant a 100% cotton canvas tote bag featuring the Love Your Lake graphic. These small but intentional takeaways reinforced the program’s themes of stewardship and sustainability.
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Grounded in Place-Based Theory, the initiative emphasized the belief that people must first engage with their environment in order to feel connected to it. A tailored curriculum supported the interns in blending recreation with environmental storytelling, making every trip a chance to inspire participants to not only enjoy the water but also to care for and protect it.
Infographic designed for the Love Your Lake grant report, highlighting program impact – this was designed using Canva. The color choice was based on the color scheme of the Love Your Lake graphic.
