Nora Gross
Mentor - Opal Class
Nora is a native Texan who is passionate about creativity, philosophy, permaculture, dance, and the arts. She attended college at SCAD in Savannah, Georgia and discovered her love for the natural world after moving to Austin in 2018. Since then, she has spent time getting to know the local plants, animals, and ecosystems – and swimming in bodies of sweet spring water.
In recent years she spent time traveling in the Southwest and California, WWOOFing, camping, exploring, and learning about growing food and ancestral lifeways. She sought out various wilderness immersion experiences, including a Vision Quest and an internship at Earth Knack Survival School in Colorado. Last year, she received a Permaculture Design Certification from the Austin Permaculture Guild and is also a Master Naturalist through the Hays County program.
Nora discovered a love for teaching at a homeschool co-op in Northern California and nurtured it at various outdoor programs in the Austin area, including Natureversity and Hamilton Pool Farm School. After a childhood spent in suburban public schools, she is passionate about providing opportunities for youth to realize their connection to the earth and to become inspired by the intelligence and beauty of the natural world. In her free time, she continues to be an avid learner, reader, music enthusiast, listener of podcasts, and curious community member.