Wildlife photographer and filmmaker Ronan Donovan spoke to Middle School students during the ninth grade class meeting on Tuesday, May 13. Donovan, whose work has been featured by National Geographic, PBS Nature, and the upcoming Planet Earth III, shared stories from his years of documenting animals like chimpanzees, mountain gorillas and Arctic wolves.
Through breathtaking photos and stories, Donovan challenged students to reconsider human interaction with the natural world. His presentation was made possible through a $10,000 grant from Vital Impacts, a nonprofit organization that works with nature photographers to mentor the next generation of environmental storytellers.
“In the eight years that I’ve been at Harvard-Westlake, we haven’t had a speaker that has specifically addressed nature, wildlife, or the environment,” Environmental Club Faculty Adviser and Science Teacher Daniella Ellingson said. “When the opportunity arose for a National Geographic photographer to come to campus, I jumped at it.”
Donovan’s visit was arranged by the Environmental Club and aimed to expand student perspectives on the natural world and the power of visual storytelling. Environmental education like Donovan’s visit can broaden students’ academic experiences beyond traditional classroom topics.
“Ronan Donovan’s work is especially inspiring for HW students because of how different his beliefs are,” Environmental Club student leader Hannah Yang ’28 said. “Instead, he teaches students that we should focus on our planet and think more deeply about where our root instincts lie.”
Donovan’s approach offers a different path than common societal pressures. By emphasizing connection to the planet, his message encourages students to reflect on their relationship with both the wild and domesticated world.
“The story that stuck out to me the most was when Ronan was working with mountain gorillas, and they invited him to play and wrestle with them,” Stella Bae ’28 said. “This story really stuck out to me because it made me realize that the gorillas saw him as a peer and a friend, who they were comfortable around and trusted.”
Donovan’s experiences go beyond observation to include genuine interactions, emphasizing empathy and trust between humans and animals. The personal connection encouraged students to rethink the human relationship with our ecosystem. Students left the class meeting with new insights into both the natural world and the power of storytelling in spreading awareness of critical issues.
