What is your favorite travel memory?
On a canoe trip in Maine, our group work up early and started off paddling before sunrise. As we started down the river in the little bit of light that dawn offered, the water was calm, and there were few sounds from the surrounding wilderness.
Still tired from our early start we were tired and all quietly settled into our task of a long day of paddling. Soon our silence was rewarded, rounding a corner we saw a group of moose, starting the day with a snack of river grass, they graciously let us pass without fidgeting.
For the next hour, each bend in the river offered the same reward. What a great morning!
How have you changed/grown since working for your current company?
Outward Bound focuses on the development of the ability to face adversity well and have compassion towards others.
I have found that this is not just a lesson for our students, but has been one of the greatest benefits of working here.
Through challenges whether in the field or in running programs I am constantly working hard towards something I believe in.
If you could go on any program that your company offers, which one would you choose and why?
I would do the Florida Keys to Brazil semester. What an epic trip, that travels through remote areas of Brazil. The students on the course get to canoe pristine rivers, go backpacking off trail, and exploring the many canyons of the Chapada dos Veadeiros wilderness.
What makes your company unique? When were you especially proud of your team?
We have been around for over 50 years, with many instructors currently teaching courses who have been working for more than a decade. It is hard to find another organization with this level of experience and history.
What do you believe to be the biggest factor in being a successful company?
Working here, I have had the chance to work with my instructor from when I was a student and to work with one of my former students. There is something really special about the growth from being a student on a course to teaching their own. This deep knowledge among our staff, of what it is to be a student, keeps Outward Bound a lively and authentic organization.