Welcome to Fast Five: Rapid-fire, insightful interviews with GS students and alumni!
After spending time in Buenos Aires learning Spanish, Forrest Donoho ‘13GS returned to his hometown of Boulder, Colorado to teach at a high school—and discovered Columbia GS almost by accident. In searching for an undergraduate education program to continue his own educational path, Donoho stumbled upon Barnard’s Educational Studies program, and by extension GS, which offered the path he’d been seeking.
His career since then has followed a steady commitment to teaching and service. He began right out of high school, through substitute teaching, leading outdoor education trips, and assisting his father who is also a teacher. “I never wanted to do anything else,” Donoho said.
Now 18 years into the profession, his work has shifted from the classroom to outdoor education, but his passion for guiding students remains as strong as ever.
What drew you to teaching internationally, and what have you learned from working in different countries and cultures?
Growing up, I spent a lot of time overseas with my parents. As a result, both my sister and I were never going to end up living in the United States. She found her way to Glasgow and I found southern Africa. International education was always going to be the most direct avenue for overseas employment; however, now that I have spent a decade here, I am exploring other options outside of international schools.
What inspired you to start an outdoor education program, and what impact have you seen it have on students?
With climate change and economic inequality intimately intertwined, for me the obvious direction for education to go is one of coexistence with nature, and one that provides economic opportunities in conservation and sustainability. The goal of our outdoor education program is exactly that.
The impact has already been multifaceted. Whether it is a difference in behavior from disconnecting from social media for an extended period of time, or the igniting of intellectual passion in conservation, I have witnessed these positive changes and more in our students. One student, as an example, is now studying veterinary sciences after joining me on a trip to the Okavango Delta a few years ago.
What was the most rewarding part of organizing the community service project involving Namibian and Danish students working together on water conservation?
The most rewarding part of the Namibia/Denmark exchange was being able to provide this educational experience to three scholarship students. They all described it as life-changing. It is sometimes hard to explain poverty here in Africa to the western world, but if you have experienced it, then you know how extraordinary this trip was for the scholarship kids.
You're also passionate about photography—can you tell us more about how you got started and what it means to you?
Photography is so fun when you live in southern Africa. It is an amazing feeling when you capture a once-in-a-lifetime moment in the bush, crystal clear on film.
Photography has also allowed me service opportunities. For example, during Covid I used money from selling wildlife photos to buy supplies for national park rangers. I would then drive 8 hours to Mana Pools National Park once per month and deliver oil, washing powder, rice, etc. These were vital supplies since rangers were not getting paid and there was no tourism in the park.
Looking back on your journey, what advice would you give to someone interested in combining education, travel, and service?
I am not sure what advice I would give other than be bold and try new things, which inevitably will lead to mistakes and learning. Now more than ever on a global scale, devotion to the public good is required of the next generation of university students.
