The past week has been nothing short of amazing. It’s been a week of being challenged, inspired and moved. It’s been a week of meeting people whom I greatly admire, working together with some of the most talented young photographers out there, and—better yet—making new friends.

Together with twelve other students from around the world, I received a scholarship from the North American Nature Photography Association, which allowed me to attend the Nature Photography Summit in McAllen, Texas, as well as get to work on a very cool conservation project.

The seemingly endless stream of bad news about our environment may have us feel a little hopeless at times, but there is still so much left to fight for, and I believe projects like these can actually make a difference. Naive? Perhaps. I’ll take that chance.

I’m not going to tell you any more about the project just jet, but I promise you’ll like it, so check back Tuesday! Edit — It’s up! Check it out: Reconnecting the Rio Grande Valley.

For now, I’ll leave you with a little hint: