俄亥俄州奇利科大学毕业生苏珊·尼斯利在霍普韦尔文化国家历史公园领导和教育

On a cool, windy day in October, 苏珊·尼斯利骄傲地站在那里，看着聚集在霍普韦尔文化国家历史公园(HCNHP)的来访贵宾和客人。. They, along with Knisley and her colleagues, 在丘城群庆祝公园被联合国教科文组织列为世界遗产, the only fully restored Hopewell earthwork complex.

Knisley, chief of interpretation, education and outreach at Hopewell Culture National Historical Park, did not set out to become a park ranger, 但她的教育经历使她自豪地穿上了国家公园管理局的制服，成为霍普韦尔文化国家历史公园最热情的倡导者和教育家之一.

Knisley started her college education at Ohio University Chillicothe 后来她搬到了这个地区，并最终在俄亥俄州立大学获得了人类学学士学位.

“我高中一毕业就去了俄亥俄州奇利科大学，并尽可能多地获得学分," Knisley said. “高中毕业时我就知道，我想成为一名人类学家. I didn't know exactly which field. I was interested in all of it."

Being a transplant from Florida, 她从未有过大多数在罗斯县长大的人在四年级实地考察时参观土方工程的经历. 有一次，她的人类学同学和教授鼓励她去参观土墩城的土方工程, 第一次访问激发了她对这个地方的好奇心和热情，为她的职业生涯奠定了基础.

“我对公园的第一次体验本身就是一个志愿者的机会，”Knisley回忆道. She joined the archeology field crew led by Dr. 布雷特·鲁比和夏天在霍普顿土方工程工作了几个星期.

It took a few more years, 更多与霍普韦尔文化国家历史公园相关人士的对话, 她丈夫给了她一点鼓励，让她想办法回到土方工程，成为一名季节性的公园护林员.

“我真的不太了解国家公园管理局. 而且我仍然没有真正了解所有这些土方工地是什么，”Knisley说. Within two weeks of starting her new role at HCNHP, Knisley had to be ready to lead a tour of fourth graders.

That experience was transformative for Knisley. 她发现自己喜欢与公众分享霍普韦尔文化的历史和考古. The history of the earthworks fascinated her, and she realized that there were many local students who, like her, were unaware of the historical treasure in their own backyard. 她立即开始修改公园的教育课程，并与罗斯县的教育工作者合作. 她热衷于向社区讲述他们附近令人惊叹的土方工程，这促使她继续攻读第二个学位, this time an education degree at Ohio University Chillicothe.

“我知道newbb电子平台奇利科斯分校有一个很棒的项目，因为我也曾在这里(HCNHP)担任过讲习班的主要教师，我们通过俄亥俄奇利科斯分校做到了这一点, so I was starting to meet more instructors as well as students,” Knisley said.

In 2013, she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Middle Childhood Education and became the park’s first education technician. Knisley通过她的教育学位获得的经验和观点帮助她从不同的角度看待公园，并使她能够开发满足教师需求的教育计划, students, and the park.   

“我对自己能为周围的学校提供的东西变得更加真实，”尼斯利说. "I had walked in their shoes, sat in their faculty rooms, talked to them, and watched what was going on with the instruction. I soaked up everything I could."

During her 23 years at Hopewell Culture National Historical Park, Knisley has developed numerous educational programs, including field trips for students, 并与老师密切合作，使土方工程的历史与他们的课程相关.

“我和学生们在一起最多两三个小时，”她指出. “你不知道会有什么人下车，也不知道在他们来访之前学校发生了什么. It's a lot of fun."

In her current role as chief of interpretation, 在霍普韦尔文化国家历史公园开展教育和推广活动, she has become involved in outreach efforts with tribal partners. 作为公园使命的一部分，Knisley深入参与了与美洲原住民部落的合作，讲述他们的故事和历史.

“我正在让我的员工参与其中，我们迫不及待地想做更多的事情，”Knisley说. “我们有很多机会让我们的合作伙伴向公众讲述他们的故事."

Knisley管理着一个由四名永久护林员、工作人员和实习生组成的团队. One of those interns is Meagan Adams, an anthropology major at Ohio University Chillicothe, 谁被选为今年HCNHP的Bruce Lombardo实习生. Knisley为指导她的团队并看着他们发展和领导自己的教育项目而感到自豪.

“每当我走进来，看到他们创造的东西，因为我给了他们工具，只是走开，允许他们这样做, that's cool. That really jazzes me up," Knisley said.

她喜欢与实习生一起工作，并帮助大学生应对她自己作为学生时所面临的决定和挑战，绘制一条符合她的兴趣和激情的道路，并允许她为他人服务. Knisley鼓励学生和有抱负的公园管理员抓住志愿者的机会，因为他们探索职业选择并迈出了第一步.

“如果你还在努力弄清楚事情，你不确定自己想做什么, think about volunteering, and see what kind of opportunities there are,” Knisley said. “Ask questions! If outdoor education, a naturalist job, or a park ranger job is something that you are interested in, get to know the different types of work that we do. 充分利用与你未来工作相关的课程.”

Knisley's journey, from a volunteer to the chief of interpretation, is an inspiring example of how passion, education and de推荐可以让你终生致力于分享像霍普韦尔文化国家历史公园这样的杰出文化遗产的故事和历史. 她的遗产不仅体现在她开发的项目上，也体现在她所激发的年轻人的思想上, 以及她在过去和现在之间建立的联系.