TREE Seasonal:A quarterly newsletter for alumni and friends of the TREE Semester—honoring the seasons, sharing reflections and staying connected.
Summer Solstice Reflections:
As part of our first TREE Seasonal, we invited alumni to pause with the solstice and reflect on how their connections to land, community, and sense of self have shifted since their time in the TREE Semester. The responses were thoughtful, honest, and wide-ranging.
Many shared that TREE instilled a greater sense of mindfulness—a slowing down to notice the details: the turn of a leaf, a shift in someone’s tone, a deeper listening. Some described a growing awareness: of surroundings, of people’s needs, and of their own presence in a place. That awareness hasn’t depended on being in wilderness spaces—it has moved with them into cities, neighborhoods, conversations, and inward.
For some, the sense of “nature” itself has evolved—no longer confined to untouched wildness but expanded to include the human-made and the relational, shaped by a deeper understanding of history and a growing awareness of Indigenous history and ways of understanding. Alumni spoke about becoming stewards not just of land, but of the relationships and communities they are part of—learning to navigate them with more care, patience, and intention.
I’ll reach out again around the fall equinox with another invitation to share stories and updates. Until then, thank you for being part of this evolving community.
Warmly,
Annie Stone
TREE Fellow 2022–24
Cauliflower bursting out.
- Adriana Aboitiz
Long Seattle days that begin early and end late. Wavering pastel light. FREE PALESTINE.
- Jake Greenblatt
An infinitesimal rete among the perennial schema.
- Jon Kaufman
Nabi has a human arm. Garden arugula growing. Mid-lunch forest walks. I spy… Mulberries! Revisiting lower school garden classroom and teacher.
- Sydney Vine
Leaves sway.
The evening wind passes by.
Purple sky.
- Knox Huang
The park filled to the brim with people, rushing to enjoy our green spaces as the rain pauses in the cotton candy sky. Children running and catching fireflies. Friends celebrating a birthday. All of us hidden within the trees of Prospect Park, not a skyscraper in sight. The steady hum of the city reminding us that it’s still there. We share new music with each other and discuss what it means to be creative in a society that values artificial intelligence.
-Rebecca Williams
a hike at a local nature preserve where we watched bird enthusiasts identify and tag birds. moments with family. prepping for my brother and his now wife’s wedding day. enjoying a zoom call while the sun went from golden hour to dusk.
- Emma Markland
Growing roots, planning big adventures in new places to love, celebrating the changes and bounty of each season.
- Paige Simenz
Perfect in wilt. Subdued colors and imperfections seem brighter together.
Washing away the trace, peaceful moments on the bay. A great egrets world is mindful and still. Fog makes the world quieter, and I too quiet.
The gray of the ocean is colorful on its own, and leaves the mind wondering what lies beneath.
The sun, blazing as it sets and I, my hair whipping as I lean out the window to see it until it disappears behind trees.
Two of the same, together, holding feet, happy.
-Emma Mason
I think about the rhythms that oscillate to create strength and ease. I stop to admire the ants that swarm around the sidewalk, carrying a big leaf home yet knowing that they will return to appreciate this season’s apricots with me.
- Ella Eskenazi