What is your favorite travel memory?
Going to Turkey with my mom! I love seeing new places and trying new foods, but the highlight of the trip was going on a hot air balloon ride with her. I also love going to national parks and enjoying the outdoors. Living in Utah allows me to connect with so many different types of outdoor activities, skiing being my favorite one of all!
How have you changed/grown since working for your current company?
Absolutely! I try to have a NOLS "Expedition Behavior" mentality on my daily life; serve the mission and goals of the group, treat everyone with dignity and respect, be kind and open hearted, and model integrity by being honest and accountable. This has allowed me to show up better as a leader and have a deeper appreciation of what our students learn on the field!
What is the best story you've heard from a return student?
Every NOLSie (aka former NOLS student) I've met says that their course was life changing. I particularly love the stories of students who became instructors due to their experience. Also, students who took their first NOLS course as a 13-14 year old, and came back to take a semester/year course with us. Seeing students come back for another course just solidifies that what we offer is truly special.
If you could go on any program that your company offers, which one would you choose and why?
I am going on a sea kayaking course in Baja, MX. But I'd also love to do a backpacking course in India, a horse-packing course in Patagonia, or sailing in New Zealand. I want to go to places that are completely different from what I know, and how cool is it that our students get to see all these amazing areas in a course!
What makes your company unique? When were you especially proud of your team?
What makes NOLS unique is the way we combine wilderness expeditions with meaningful leadership growth. Students just don't learn about leadership, they practice it every day in real, often challenging environments. My team makes me proud everyday because of the service they are providing students and their families!
What do you believe to be the biggest factor in being a successful company?
Being student-centered always! We were founded by Paul Petzoldt and his mission was to bring students to the outdoors and engage the leader within. As long as we are constantly remembering the why of what we do, NOLS will continue to be the leader in outdoor education. And making sure that as an organization we are embodying Expedition Behavior!