SciGirl Extraordinaire | Nadia Studnicka

With a little help from her mom and older sister, this ambitious SciGirl raised $7,100 by selling origami cranes to support conservation efforts protecting endangered Whooping Cranes. It took them 7 full months to fold all the tiny paper cranes! They received donations from all across the United States (including Hawaii!) and from as far away as Australia. Nadia and her family drove from their home in Illinois to the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge in Wisconsin, where the baby cranes are raised, to deliver the money in person. Awesome job, Nadia!

While touring the refuge, Nadia saw hawks, deer, kingfishers, eagles, and her first wild whooping cranes! She says of the experience, "What I have learned from this project is that anyone can make a difference. Even if it's just one small thing, it is still helping. By doing our crane project we not only hope to save the cranes but to inspire other people to make a difference as well. If kids start trying to help animals and the environment now, then maybe someday our world will be a better place to live for everyone.

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