She spent two weeks exploring Antarctica’s ecology firsthand and brainstorming ways to bring that dynamic experience back to her classroom. Obtaining the fellowship was a long-term goal of her own that she made a reality through persistence and hard work. Obenchain’s expedition to Antarctica was part of her recent experience as a Grosvenor Teacher Fellow, a professional development opportunity for pre-K–12 educators made possible by a partnership between Lindblad Expeditions and the National Geographic Society. I want to be a role model for them to take the risks that are out there.” Vickie Obenchain ’03 plunges into the frigid Southern Ocean waters to honor her students’ wishes. “If I can inspire any of them to follow their dreams, that’s really important to me. “My goal is for my kids to realize that they can do the things they want to do,” Obenchain says. If she can do these things, she reasons, then her students will see that they can, too. When she told her class she was selected for an expedition to Antarctica, most of her students said they would jump into the water there if they were given the same opportunity, so she plunged into the frigid Southern Ocean. When several students told her they wanted to be pilots, she went to air camp over the summer and learned how to fly a plane. Vickie Obenchain would do anything to encourage her students to make their dreams a reality.
