ABOUT THE MILLENNIUM FELLOWSHIP - CLASS OF 2021
United Nations Academic Impact and MCN are proud to partner on the Millennium Fellowship. In 2021, over 25,000 young leaders on 2,000+ campuses across 153 nations applied to join the Class of 2021. 136 campuses worldwide (just 6%) were selected to host the 2,000+ Millennium Fellows. The Class of 2021 is bold, innovative, and inclusive.
UNITED NATIONS ACADEMIC IMPACT AND MCN PROUDLY PRESENT TAYLOR VICKERS, A MILLENNIUM FELLOW FOR THE CLASS OF 2021.
Florida Gulf Coast University | Florida, United States | Advancing SDG 13 & UNAI 3
" The Millennium Fellowship Program will provide me with opportunities to expand both my soft and hard skills by communicating with others, working on a team, and stepping outside of my comfort zone, while also widening my network to improve upon and expand the overall reach of my project. My current project focuses on combating climate change through quality education in the form of educational signage for Lovers Key State Park. Throughout this project, I saw a need in the park to have a more diverse, all-encompassing idea of what it means to be an American; therefore, I am striving to create more signage, and translate both the new and existing signs into English, Spanish, and Creole to educate a wider range of individuals. One of the new signs will be dedicated to the Calusa Tribe, who once lived on the land where Lovers Key State Park is now located. These translations, as well as the inclusion of the park’s Native American heritage, will be more reflective of the Southwest Florida community, draw a more diverse group of people to the park, and spread knowledge to groups who may not have had access to this information in the past. "
Millennium Fellowship Project: RedeSIGNing Lovers Key State Park
“Mangrove trees are a vital species in Florida as they help to protect the coastline, prevent erosion, and absorb storm surge”. This is one of the facts that I included on the mangrove sign that I created for Lovers Key State Park, highlighting the importance of these plants on the Southwest Florida ecosystem. At this point in my project, I have created six signs for the park, to educate the community on the flora and fauna of Southwest Florida, ongoing threats to the local ecosystem, and ways that individuals can help counter these threats. These signs contain fun facts and educational elements to create a more engaging experience. To maximize the benefits of this project, I am striving to design more signs and translate both the new and existing signs into English, Spanish, and Creole, making the signage more diverse and inclusive to educate a wider range of individuals, making visitors aware of environmental issues and inspiring them to adopt environmentally conscious behaviors and mindsets.
About the Millennium Fellow
Taylor Vickers is an undergraduate student at Florida Gulf Coast University, double majoring in Psychology and Communications with a minor in Spanish. Her future plans are to become a child clinical psychologist and eventually opening her own practice to help children and adolescents who may be struggling through a difficult set of circumstances. As such, providing them an outlet, in the form of mental health treatment, to address their feelings and teach them healthy ways to cope is crucial.