Floating classroom connects students to river careers
Written by Heather Ervin
Floating classroom barge. (Credit: Mississippi River Institute and Living Lands & Waters)
With its floating classroom barge and hands-on workshops, the Mississippi River Institute is connecting young adults and school-aged kids to the river’s ecological and economic importance, while opening their eyes to careers they may have never considered. From towboat captains and deckhands to fisheries biologists and hydrologists, the program immerses students in the working river, guided by industry professionals who share their own stories, skills, and career paths. In this Q&A, Marine Log talks with Rachel Loomis, Mississippi River Institute manager and educator, about how the institute is inspiring the next generation to see the Mississippi River as “2,300 miles of opportunity.”
Marine Log (ML): Why did Living Lands & Waters decide to create the Mississippi River Institute, and what makes it different from traditional career development programs?
Rachel Loomis (RL): With the support of numerous maritime companies throughout our organization’s history, we noticed a demand for connecting young adults to the river, not only for its ecological value, but also for its economic importance. Growing up, students may not realize just how many opportunities exist on the Mississippi River, let alone the various river ways in not only the U.S., but also around the world. The Mississippi River Institute offers a space to learn about the river from professionals in the maritime industry, and helps inspire students to look outside the confines of a classroom to see what’s taking place on the river in real time. It’s a unique opportunity to showcase the real, working river!
ML: You describe the Mississippi River as “2,300 miles of opportunity.” Can you share some examples of the career paths students are introduced to through the institute?
RL: There are over 1.3 million jobs on the Mississippi River alone. We promote numerous careers in the trades and barge industries, as that is what the program is truly inspired by: everything from towboat captains, deckhands, engineers, and, yes, even the cooks who live and travel on the towboats! These jobs offer a unique lifestyle, hard work, and a lot of value when workers show the grit and grind it takes to work on the rivers. In addition to the trades, we also promote careers in conservation, hospitality, tourism, and even city, state, and federal agencies.
We highlight jobs such as hydrologists, water quality testers, U.S. Coast Guard, Army Corps of Engineers, paddle outfitter guides, and so much more. The idea is not to tell these young adults who to be, but to let them know there are all these opportunities out there for them, and all these opportunities are celebrated by our rivers. If students don’t know about these jobs, they’re not going to be able to pursue them, so exploring these career topics aboard the Mississippi River Institute is valuable to students and teachers alike.
ML: What’s a typical day like for a student attending one of the institute’s workshops?
RL: The students get to attend a full-day workshop, typically five hours long, along with 15-30 of their peers. Students arrive and are welcomed onto the floating classroom barge, which is a new experience for many attendees! We start off the workshop by giving a safety briefing; a topic that is always considered and discussed in a workplace, especially when working on the river. We dive into inspiring students with the story of how Living Lands & Waters began in 1998, where Founder and President, Chad Pregracke, had a different perspective on the river and was able to make a difference with hard work and perseverance. Chad’s story, along with the success of Living Lands & Waters, demonstrates that individual students, too, can make a positive impact in their community, or perhaps the world, but most importantly, in their own world.
Guest speakers from the industry are recruited for the workshop, where they highlight aspects from their personal and professional lives, showcasing the skills, education, experience, and dedication they may need or should consider pursuing to get on the right track for the right career. Guest speakers engage students through hands-on activities and demonstrations, showcasing the interesting aspects of their roles. During lunch, students watch a video produced by Living Lands & Waters, narrated by Mike Rowe, featuring over 26 different river-related careers. Students end the day with a river-related activity and a debrief discussion on what they learned before getting back on the bus to return to their school or program center!
ML: How does the traveling classroom barge create a unique learning experience for young adults compared to a traditional classroom?
RL: If we’re talking about working on the river, what better way to showcase it than by being on a floating classroom barge? Students have the opportunity to sit in a classroom with the bustling current of the river right outside the big, open doors. They might see fish popping out of the water, a towboat hauling six barges up or down the river, and even the captain stepping out of the wheelhouse to wave hello. We’re able to take in a vast view of the river by incorporating activities on the upper or lower deck, whether it’s throwing lines around kevel or collecting water samples from over the side of the barge. It’s a classroom that brings the topics to life and engages students in hands-on activities. There’s no better way to learn than with the subject matter right outside the window.
ML: Why is it important to highlight river-related careers—like maritime, STEM, and conservation—that are often overlooked by students entering the workforce?
RL: There are so many jobs in this world, and we need a diverse range of individuals to fill them. We need welders, just as much as we need farmers, just as much as we need biologists. Water is a common theme among them all, and being able to highlight that in our workshops is a game-changer. It allows us to inspire students to connect the dots—without one, we can’t have the other. We’re all working together to promote different industries and showcase the importance of our freshwater resources, specifically our rivers, for various reasons.
ML: What impact do you hope the Mississippi River Institute will have on students and the communities along the river in the years ahead?
RL: We hope students walk away from our workshops feeling inspired to think outside the box. Want to be a welder? You could work at a local mechanic shop on land, or consider welding while diving beneath the barges. Not interested in an office job and craving adventure or a different lifestyle? Become a deckhand. Love collecting data but want to stay connected to natural resources? Pursue a career as a fisheries biologist. Throughout the day, we aim to show that there are many different career paths students may not have considered before. And if students leave saying, “No way do I want to work on the river,” that’s okay.
Not everyone is meant for river work. What matters most is that they walk away with a greater appreciation for what our fresh waterways provide us every day, whether it’s clean drinking water or the transport of goods on barges that end up in our communities. Our goal is to continue promoting both the ecological and economic value of our rivers, and to foster the understanding that the two go hand in hand.
