Connecting People & Parks: Kelsi Ju

For young, first-generation immigrants from across the globe, it’s likely difficult to relate to musty forts and dusty tales from 150 years ago. That’s why a new program for 4th graders, called Migratory Story, offers such value, says Kelsi Ju, an NPS ranger and education manager for school programs at Crissy Field Center. In partnership with Golden Gate Raptor Observatory, this program brings kids to Hawk Hill, where they see birds of prey winging their way from Canada to Mexico—and vividly understand why. Recognizing parallels between the birds’ long journey and their own, the kids — most of them visiting a national park for the first time — begin a lifetime of connection with their parks.