Kelly Popham (she/her)

I am incredibly fortunate to have grown up here in Duluth, building relationships with Gichigami and the beautiful land that surrounds her from a young age. This place is a part of me and I am a part of this place; that is the feeling of connectedness I hope to foster in the preschoolers I have the honor of working with. Much of my education has taken place in the woods and on the rocky beaches, learning from the natural world and learning to understand myself as a community member in that world. Additionally, I earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, and completed the naturalist training program at Wolf Ridge-ELC. Subbing in the preschool program at Hartley in the last school year was a blast, and I learned so much from all the talented teachers and students I got to work with. When I’m not hanging out with cool kiddos, I can be found birdwatching, rock-picking, immersed in learning about plants, reading sci-fi novels, cozied up with my cat, dancing, skiing, biking, backpacking, and so much more–what a fun world we live in!