by Lisa Butterworth

“Do you have a favorite insect?” Aya Shoman, 10, asked earnestly. We’re sitting at a picnic table under the trees at Pomona College Organic Farm with her mom, Rana Shoman, while her 8-year-old triplet siblings play nearby. The sky is blue, wildflowers sway in the breeze, bees buzz, and birds alight on nearby branches. This kind of outdoor space, teeming with life, is where Aya feels at home.

It’s one of the reasons she’s a perfect candidate to become the next Jr. Ranger champion in a competition organized on behalf of the National Wildlife Federation and hosted by American biologist, conservationist, and TV personality Jeff Corwin. The contest, for kids ages 4-12, doubles as a fundraiser for the nonprofit, which has been advocating for wildlife conservation since 1936. The winner will be awarded $20,000, a wildlife experience with Corwin, and a feature in NWF’s Ranger Rick magazine.

(L-R) Aya, 10, Amaya, 8, Thalya, 8, and their mother Rana Shoman (with Rayan, 8, in the background) turn the six-acre Pomona College Organic Farm into a hands-on homeschool classroom on Wednesday. Courier photo/Peter Weinberger

“I’ve always loved nature,” Aya said, “ever since I was a baby.” Rana agreed: “It’s her calm place.” In her younger years, Aya loved going for walks, playing in the backyard, and once even brought a lizard into the house, much to her mom’s chagrin. Now she loves exploring trails, visiting nature centers, and growing plants of her own at the family’s Upland home.

Aya’s favorite insect is the praying mantis. Why? “Well, obviously they’re green and green is one of my favorite colors,” she said. Her Jr. Ranger profile page (jr-ranger.org/2026/aya-a8f1) offers photographic evidence: a close-up of her serene face, with a large praying mantis resting on her cheek. “I’ve already raised seven. This one,” she said, pointing to a photo of a praying mantis on her mom’s phone, “I named it Milkweed, and I think it’s a boy.” She found it on the milkweed in her backyard, where it was munching on aphids, she explained.

She shared another photo, of an incredibly small praying mantis perched on her finger. “I don’t know how she found it, but that’s what she does. And then she saves them because she knows they’re good for the environment,” Rana said, before Aya launched into a description of the insect’s life cycle, starting with the “ootheca,” an egg case produced by the female.

Rana began homeschooling her four children three years ago, and Aya’s interest in nature, along with inspiration fromKelly Sipan, a homeschooling naturalist, has helped shape their curriculum. “Kelly’s core message is simple and powerful — less screen time, more outdoor memories, child-led, and more connection as a family. It gave me confidence to follow a child-led approach and study nature through the children’s eyes, especially Aya’s,” Rana said. “Because at the end of the day, when I tried to create school at home, I realized that I was just boxing them in, and they were more happy, engaged, and free when they were outside.”

Now, math concepts are studied with pebbles, sticks, and leaves. Reading comprehension is practiced with nature books. “We play tic-tac-toe with rocks. We make dye out of items we found in nature. Our kitchen counter has turned into a garden,” Rana said.

The family explores parks and trails, and takes field trips that exemplify civic duty, like visiting a Cal Fire station in Jurupa Valley. “I want our kids to know their community, to grow up serving their community,” Rana said. “And in order to do that, you have to preserve it, and you have to take care of it.”

(L-R) Thalya, Amaya, and Aya Shoman pictured Wednesday at Pomona College Organic Farm. Courier photo/Peter Weinberger

Learning this way makes every experience a teachable moment, like when Aya caught a puff of silky floss floating by our table. “Why is there floss on the seed?” Rana prompted. “So the seed can spread?” Aya asked. “Yeah,” her mom responded, “the wind carries it.”

When Rana heard about the Jr. Ranger competition, she knew it would complement Aya’s passions. What she didn’t know was how inspiring the journey would be. Aya has been talking to everyone about how much she loves nature and why it’s so important to care for — from people at Home Depot to kids at the park to the family’s neighbors. “I feel like this contest has brought her to speak up loud,” Rana said. Even their district’s Upland City Council member, Shannan Maust, has shown support. “Overall, people in the community are engaged,” Rana said. “They want to be a part of this.”

The contest is hosted by Jeff Corwin, who Aya explained “is a nature and biologist explorer who has spent his whole life protecting animals and helping people like me to protect our local wildlife.” Something Aya is already working on, Rana said. Last week, they were with several other families when they came across a small bird that the kids started to chase. Aya stopped them when she realized it was a hatchling and helped get the bird to safety. “She started telling the kids, ‘It’s a Bewick’s wren.’ And then I noticed the calamity around all the kids came to a calm,” Rana said. “So I feel like she’s already doing that job of trying to be an environmental steward, teaching kids.”

Since registering for the competition, Aya has been in first place in her category. Voters can cast a vote for free every single day; the bigger a voter’s donation to the National Wildlife Federation, the more votes they’re able to cast. If Aya makes it through the quarterfinals and semifinals, voting will continue through June 4; the grand prize winner will be announced June 19.

“I don’t care about the [prize] money,” Aya said. “I care about all of the people voting for me and the donations, because it goes to our wildlife.” If she does win, though, she plans to make a donation to one of her favorite places, theSan Dimas Canyon Nature Center, where she gets to observe her favorite bird, the red-tailed hawk.

“I realized something as simple as carrying a mission where you care about a contest or care about a fundraising organization … if she has a voice in this, then maybe she can have a voice in something else,” Rana said.

Aya agreed.

“Life will take you anywhere if you dream to be in it,” she said, before leaving the table to explore. She returned shortly with a tiny praying mantis on her finger, no bigger than a dime.