Education Director: Kristin Fonseca
My favorite outdoor experience as a child is my earliest memory of fishing. From a young age, my family began taking small local vacations to outdoor areas; we would camp out, fish, hike, etc. As a daddy’s girl, I was always by his side and my first memory of fishing is no different. I was about 5 or 6 and it was our first morning on a trip to a lake. While my mom and sister worked on breakfast, my dad took me down to a small pier and handed me a small rod that was once my brother’s. I do not recall the details or how long we were there, but I do remember the tug of my first fish taking the bait and my dad helping me to set the hook. I quickly reeled in a small cat fish and, with a huge smile on my face, I held him up for my dad to see. I was so proud of my first catch and knew he would be too.
Fin Addict Angler Foundation is a place where all and any outdoor enthusiast is welcomed, no matter a person’s skill level or experience. It is a place where people who love to fish come together to learn and grow as an angler. Then we take that knowledge and experience and share it with others, educating adults and children not just about fishing and fish, but about protecting the natural homes and waterways so that generations after us will be able to continue to enjoy being an angler.
As a certified educator I plan to assist Fin Addict Angler Foundation through establishing a curriculum program that can be used to teach student of all levels and ages. I also have the desire to connect Fin Addict with existing organizations that support the needs of children and align our curriculum to fit the program’s needs. In this way we are able to provide a service to many organizations and children who may not have had an opportunity to experience fishing while giving them a chance to continue to be educated and grow into a young angler themselves.