Bowie State’s Outdoor Club Prepares for Shenandoah Valley Hike

Dr. Sumanth Reddy Looks Forward to Hiking, Canoeing and Fishing Trips

 

MEDIA CONTACT: Jonathan Saxon, jsaxon@bowiestate.edu, 301-860-3607

(BOWIE, Md.) – Dr. Sumanth Reddy, assistant professor of history and government and coordinator of Bowie State University’s Outdoor Club, couldn’t be more excited about exposing students to the great outdoors with a planned trip taking 15 students to Shenandoah Valley this weekend.

For this first Outdoor Club activity for the school year, Dr. Reddy said initial interest in this camping trip has been overwhelming.

“Almost 50 students signed up,” said Dr. Reddy. “I can only take 15 students.” Not too bad for a club that just started late last fall but is steadily growing.

A recent $4,500 grant from the National Park Trust will fund the Outdoor Club’s activities for the year. Dr. Reddy is excited about the prospect of future hikes, campouts, park clean ups and fishing trips that can happen with the new funding.

Dr. Reddy said, starting the Outdoor Club gives him a chance to replicate what one of his professor’s did for him as a student.

“I wasn’t exposed to any of this until my sophomore year,” said Dr. Reddy. “I took a course and there was a two-week camping trip to the southwest area. I replicated that same exact trip with my students last summer. For most students, it’s all new experiences. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for someone who exposed me.”

For the upcoming trip, Dr. Reddy and the group will make camp in the park after their three-hour van ride. Hikes to a couple of historic sites around the valley have been planned. Afterward, he and the students will share a meal together before retiring to their tents to sleep under the stars for the night. It’s an experience that Dr. Reddy thinks is invaluable in a time where technology and constant streams of information dominate modern life.

“We’re so surrounded by technology and people,” he said. “When we go on these hikes, you’re in a group talking to each other. You’re not staring down at your cell phone. Getting away from modern life is good from time to time.”

The Outdoor Club had five official activities last semester, but he hopes they can plan and carry out at least one trip a month with the funding from the National Park Trust grant. Dr. Reddy says the Outdoor Club is meant to spark a person’s interest in the outdoors that he hopes turns into a lifetime appreciation.

“If I can expose my students to some of these opportunities, some of them will get into it,” said Dr. Reddy. “They just need to be shown the ropes for the first or second time.”

For those interested in finding out more about the Outdoor Club, you can follow them on Instagram: @BSU_Outdoorclub.

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