Tawyna: The very first word is that Wyoming is wild. Everything about it is wild. There's just such amazing nature. Weather. Everything is just as it is. That's what I think of when I think of Wyoming.

Nancy: So, does Wyoming give you space to be wild in your own ways?

Tawyna: For sure. I think that's absolutely true. You don't notice it as you grow up and live here. You notice it when you're not here. I think that the people in the communities in Wyoming also give people safe spaces to be their person, and that's one of the most remarkable things. I think that you can have these ideas and share them and it's just a free place to do that, which makes the people very special.

Nancy: When you think about the special nature, do you recall any stories of your own life or things that you've witnessed that illustrate this kind of space to be who you are?

Tawyna: Yes. I think, just growing up near the Bighorn Mountain range, [I] spent every weekend of my childhood there. We had a camper [and] we would go up and I had my boundaries, as a child, but [I was] basically sat loose. I knew that I had to see the camper and as long as I could see it, but that allowed me to really explore nature in a very free way. It allowed me to connect with everything that was happening around me and really value it, which I think a lot of us carry forward. We treasure our natural resources that we have here so very much because we've just had this unlimited access to this beautiful place.

Note: The transcript above has been condensed from its original audio recording to improve the flow and readability of the story.