My first trip out of the country was to New Zealand in 2010 on a month-long combined service-and-adventure trip, and that initial experience has informed many of my professional and curricular decisions, since. In 2012, I completed a semester of backpacking and sea kayaking with NOLS in Chilean Patagonia. In 2013, after graduating from Binghamton University, SUNY with a BS in Management, Concentrating in Leadership and Consulting with a Minor in Environmental Studies, I joined a wilderness therapy outfit in the Adirondack mountains of New York as a field instructor. There, I amassed over 100 field days leading oppositional-defiant teenage boys in all-seasons camping. My next major leadership role was as a Team Leader with AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) throughout 2015. In 2016, I became an OEC Technician and member of the National Ski Patrol; then in the fall, I enrolled in Minnesota State University, Mankato’s world-renowned master’s program in Experiential Education. Throughout my time in Mankato, I’ve logged over 500 hours of ropes course facilitation and rock gym climbing instruction, managed a local escape room business, served on the local Mt. Kato Ski Patrol, and earned my master’s degree. I am excited to facilitate experiences for teenagers and young adults incorporating adventure and service, as I know first-hand how impactful those types of experiences can be!
