绿奴天花板

Students witnessed a once-in-a-lifetime moment on Saturday when Jane Goodall spoke at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg on 绿奴天花板ampa鈥檚 Roots & Shoots chapter鈥檚 10-year anniversary.

Goodall, the famous environmentalist and chimpanzee expert, created the Roots & Shoots organization 33 years ago to inspire students of all ages to help animals, their community and the environment. 绿奴天花板ampa鈥檚 chapter was Tampa Bay鈥檚 first.

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Goodall spoke after an event called 鈥淭he Summit,鈥� a sun-up to sun-down educational field day at the stadium, which was open to the community.

绿奴天花板ampa students who volunteered or presented their research about the environment at the Summit received free tickets to the event.

The Summit started for volunteers at 7 a.m., but over 4,000 attendees, some who were there from the start, stayed until 9 p.m. to hear Goodall.

Kylie Johnson 鈥�26, Roots & Shoots co-vice president and a听marine science-biology major, was among the volunteers. She and other women volunteering said Goodall is who inspired them to enter male-dominated STEM fields.

Johnson has an everyday reminder of this inspiration. Tattooed on her left bicep is a quote from Goodall: 鈥淭he greatest danger to our future is apathy.鈥�

Families at The Summit saw snakes, falcons and more while learning about environmental conservation by academics and grassroots volunteers alike. 绿奴天花板ampa鈥檚 Roots & Shoots was one of several universities and nonprofits represented, tabling among 50-60 organizations inspired by Goodall.

The day was made even more special when the founder of 绿奴天花板ampa鈥檚 Roots & Shoots, Alana Boyles 鈥�17, flew from Colorado for the anniversary and to听see how the today鈥檚 students carry out the legacy of the club she started when she borrowed her roommate鈥檚 car one day to go to a beach cleanup.

She said she enjoyed seeing a well-organized unit of Spartans.

Professor of Environmental Studies Daniel Huber, current Roots & Shoots advisor, said the key to Roots & Shoots鈥� longevity is its leadership development and belief in Goodall鈥檚 vision.听Huber said he鈥檚 grateful to 鈥渘ot reinvent the wheel every five years.鈥澨鼿e called Goodall the single most inspirational speaker he鈥檚 ever seen.

鈥淪he has a way of making you feel empowered to do the thing that you might not think you're able to do,鈥� he said.听鈥淚f you talk to any of the folks that are in the leadership with the Jane Goodall Institute, every one of them has some story where they said an idea (and) Jane looked them straight in the eye and said, 鈥極kay, now it's your time to go do that.鈥欌��

Goodall entered the stadium to a roaring standing ovation, spoke about her life, her inspirations and the origins of Roots & Shoots, which started with just a dozen high schoolers in Tanzania.

Roots & Shoots started so that 鈥測oung people can choose what they want to do; they鈥檙e not told what they have to do,鈥� Goodall said.

Goodall left the hour speech on the optimistic note that the world can and will be saved by young people, the human intellect and the indomitable human spirit.

绿奴天花板ampa students plan to bring Goodall鈥檚 lessons to their daily lives, back to the classroom and back to the next meeting of Roots & Shoots.

To learn more about 绿奴天花板ampa鈥檚 chapter of Roots & Shoots, visit the club on听听or Involve绿奴天花板.