Brandon Willis Legacy Scholarship Fund
In 2017, Brandon Willis joined students from New Albany High School, Ohio, for a trip to South Africa with Original Wisdom. He traveled as a member of a high school class titled “Wildlife Tracking, Digital Photography and Robotic Applications.” Brandon was already an accomplished photographer before he joined us for the trip. He dove into the robotics piece with great enthusiasm and became known for his Monitor robot which he used to approach and photograph a white rhino in the bush. In 2022, Brandon left us all too soon but his passion for wildlife, photography and his love of South Africa resulted in his family creating this scholarship fund in his memory. One hundred percent of donations made in his name are set aside to help provide for a high school or college student to travel to South Africa to participate in an Original Wisdom program. The student must have a strong passion for photography and/or wildlife tracking and be a part of a program or class that is learning about and working towards conservation.

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Original Wisdom
Original Wisdom is an education company that offers both local programs in the USA and study abroad programs in Southern Africa in ecology, culture, and wildlife tracking. This includes developing for-credit courses for universities, colleges, and high schools. Courses are custom designed according to the academic requirements and adventurous desires of the visiting faculty, professor, or group leader. Original Wisdom also develops courses for wildlife trackers, wilderness schools and intrepid adventurers. 
Original Wisdom’s mission is to spend most of our time on-the-ground engaged in hands-on teaching and learning that will also awaken curiosity, confidence, and passion to learn more. We believe in participating in real research projects that contribute to ethical conservation. We value sharing authentic interactions with people from other places and cultures when those experiences help sustain and mutually benefit our participants and the local people. It is always our goal to inspire our participants to live more deliberately with themselves, each other, and the environment, and to consider the welfare of all of these things in their day-to-day choices. Original Wisdom was created in 2013 by Dr. Kersey Lawrence, a trained scientist, an award-winning teacher and the only female Senior Tracker in the world.

 

O r i g i n a l  W i s d om  c omb i n e s  a n c i e n t  a n d  mo d e r n  s k i l l s  i n  i n t e r n a t i o n a l  a d v e n t u r e  e d u c a t i o n  f o c u s i n g  o n  w i l d l i f e  t r a c k i n g  &  e c o l o g y ,  b u s h c r a f t  &  h uma n  c u l t u r e .