From One Generation to the Next: A GeoFORCE Legacy

September 14, 2026

Life has a way of coming full circle when you least expect it. For former GeoFORCE student Daulton Woodson, that moment arrived when his son, Bryson, began his own GeoFORCE journey.

The Woodsons are part of a small but growing group of GeoFORCE families who have experienced the program across generations. For Daulton, watching his son become a student has given him a chance to reflect on where his own journey began and see what the experience might mean for Bryson.

Daulton’s GeoFORCE journey began in his fifth-grade science classroom. “I actually hadn’t heard of it,” Daulton said. His science teacher, Ms. Schroeder, introduced him to the program. Both of her children had participated in GeoFORCE in its early years, and she saw something in Daulton that made her think he would be a good fit. “She had a way of teaching that was a little different,” he said, describing her approach to lessons and her ability to make science something students actively engaged with rather than simply memorized.

That introduction led to Daulton beginning his GeoFORCE experience in 2008. Before completing the program in 2011, GeoFORCE was an important part of his high school years, filled with travel, hands-on science, new places and new people.

Fourteen years later, Daulton finds himself on the other side of the experience, watching his own son, Bryson prepare for a GeoFORCE academy. Bryson completed his first academy this summer as a ninth-grade student, and he already has a favorite experience. “It was very fun and educational,” Bryson said.

Among the destinations he visited, Mustang Island State Park near Corpus Christi quickly stood out. “I just really like the beach,” he said. But the experience studying grain size, measuring longshore drift, and determining the beach slope sparked more than an appreciation for the shoreline. It also opened the door to a new scientific interest. “I like to live near the water and work near the water and work with water tides and how they form a beach,” Bryson said.

That kind of discovery is an important part of the GeoFORCE experience. Students encounter science in places where they can see it, touch it and ask questions about it. A lesson about coastal processes takes on a different meaning when students are standing on the shoreline and seeing those forces firsthand. For Bryson, Mustang Island became more than a memorable stop. It gave him a glimpse of an area of science he might want to explore further.

There was also a connection between his experience and his father’s. Before Bryson ever stepped onto a GeoFORCE bus, he had already heard plenty about the program from Daulton. When Bryson finally experienced it for himself, his father’s descriptions proved remarkably accurate. “How he explained it is exactly how it was,” Bryson said.

For Daulton, that may be one of the most rewarding parts of watching his son participate. The destinations, instructors and students may change, but the basic experience remains familiar. Students are still stepping outside the traditional classroom, exploring new places, building relationships and learning about science along the way.

At the same time, Bryson’s journey will be his own. With three more academies ahead of him, he has plenty of opportunities to explore new interests and see where his curiosity takes him. His interest in water and coastal environments may develop into a future field of study, or it may lead somewhere completely different. That is part of what makes the experience valuable. Students do not have to know what they want to do when they begin. They have the opportunity to explore and figure it out along the way.

During the interview, Daulton asked whether many GeoFORCE alumni now have children in the program. Learning that legacy families are still relatively rare caught his attention. “That’s awesome.” he said. “We might be some of the first.”

The Woodson family’s story highlights the transformative impact of GeoFORCE, where one generation’s opportunity becomes the foundation for the next. Their legacy inspires our commitment to creating pathways for future students and strengthening the GeoFORCE community for generations to come.

Hook’em

Written by Akeem Todd