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Welcome to the GoBeyond Peru trip logs! Below is a little bit about the staff that will be leading this summer. Enjoy!
MARIANA REYES MAYET – Mariana hails from Mexico City, but now lives in Guadalajara. She’s been a preschool teacher for 13 years and loves to volunteer. She started in 2011 with Operation Smile in Chiapas, where she was surrounded by great people who – like her – were just there to help someone in need. After her first stint with Operation Smile – seeing the little ones smile and being so grateful – she realized how lucky she is. Now, she always seeks to share herself and her time with others. To Mariana, the most satisfactory experience anyone can have is helping and giving.
BILL LANDIS – 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!
JOSE LUIS FERNANDEZ ANTONIO – Jose was born in Valencia and lived in Madrid, Spain. Currently, he lives on Mancora, a city in northern Peru. He has work experience in sales and commercial areas, as well as in volunteering and non-profit organizations. He worked in UNHCR Spain for several years and in MySmallHelp Peru where he was the coordinator of volunteers and projects for 3 years in Ollantaytambo, Cusco. Jose is a traveler and a dreamer. He began traveling around South America 7 years ago. While traveling, he has worked and lived in different countries in South America, which allow him to experience different cultures and obtain great diverse learnings.