Worcester Magazine Features Two Holy Cross Seniors Who Spent Summer Living in the Woods

WORCESTER, Mass. – On June 23, 2008, Alicia Cianciola and Jenny Ugolino, both members of the College of the Holy Cross class of 2009, pitched a tent in Cascades West, the 223 acres of protected woodland along Worcester’s northern edge, bordering the suburbs of Paxton and Holden.

It became their home for the next six weeks.

The students were hired by the College to conduct a study for the Greater Worcester Land Trust, which owns the property, through a community work-study program.  Cianciola, an environmental science major, and Ugolino, a biology major — studied and catalogued plants and wildlife for the Land Trust. Cianciola tells Worcester Magazine, the experience was surreal. “When you’re in there, it feels very rural, but even on the edge here you always know in the back of your mind that there are houses not even a mile away.”

Colin Novick, executive director of the Land Trust, helped the students set up their camp complete with food, a camera — even an outhouse.

Novick tells Worcester Magazine that he “hopes the study will show how the land has changed, its interdependence on the surrounding area and the forces at work there. It’s the kind of record that can also be useful when compared to future studies.”

Despite the rainy month, the students tell Worcester Magazine they learned more than just about plants and animals. “It’s so peaceful out here,” explains Cianciola. “Leaving here, I think, you’re better prepared. You have better inner resources, I want to say, to deal with whatever stresses the city may hold.”

Read more about the students’ experiences, read journal excerpts, and view photos in this week’s Worcester Magazine cover story.