Back in college, I took a school trip to Comb Ridge in what is now Bears Ears National Monument. Until then, I thought of deserts as vast expanses of kitty litter. Backpacking across Comb Ridge changed that. I saw the vast expanses as something with intrinsic importance. From hiking among the ancestral pueblo society in this complex and vibrant ecosystem, I experienced deep personal growth.
A decade later, I returned to that same place. Again, this was with a college class. But this time I was the professor. I was able to take my personal growth and pay it forward to another generation.