When Haley Berezik participated in Muddy Sneakers (2008-2009) as a student at Rosman Elementary School, she was already a kid who took school seriously. Between AIG classes and extracurricular activities, she was always striving to achieve.
Muddy Sneakers gave her something different: a chance to step away from her busy routine and spend time outside.
“I remember always being so excited I would lay out my clothes and hiking shoes the night before,” Haley says. “Getting up wasn’t a chore.”
One of her most vivid memories is a trip to School House Falls. She remembers the clear water, temperate weather, a fun hiking guide, and the feeling that came with simply being outside.
“It was pretty magical,” she says.
For Haley, Muddy Sneakers wasn’t just about taking a break from the classroom. It also changed the way she understood the natural world.
She had always loved exploring outside, especially playing in creeks and catching things. But Muddy Sneakers gave that curiosity a new lens.
“The program definitely added a more ‘scientific’ or learning-centric take on nature,” she says. “I had always played in the creek trying to catch various things, but Muddy Sneakers helped me identify and categorize the things around me.”
That connection between curiosity, nature, and science has stayed with her. Today, Haley is an associate scientist on the clinical team at Q² Solutions, where she works on clinical, diagnostic, and investigational oncology projects. Looking back, she can see a connection between the curiosity she brought to those early creek explorations and the way she approaches science today.
Haley believes programs like Muddy Sneakers are especially important in public schools, not only because they give students opportunities to learn about natural science and ecology, but because they give kids something increasingly rare: time to play, explore, and connect with one another.
“Without these programs in our schools, a bit of levity and light would be lost,” Haley says. “Aside from all the benefits of learning about natural sciences, ecology, and the world around us, these kids would be losing essential ‘play’ time, which is crucial for their development.”
For Haley Berezik, Muddy Sneakers offered more than a break from a busy school day. It gave her space to play, a new way to understand the natural world, and an early connection between curiosity and science that has stayed with her nearly 20 years later.