Connecting with nature was when I felt true happiness.
I grew up in a small town in Southern Oregon, surrounded by beautiful forests and rivers. I went to college a few hours away from home, staying close to friends and everything familiar. I studied Environmental Science at the University of Oregon, never quite knowing what I wanted in the future, but I did know that connecting with nature was when I felt true happiness. I found that in my major I really enjoyed the hands on aspects, like my internship of taking kids on field trips at a local park.
Looking back on college and life, I definitely stayed in my comfort zone as much as possible. Each year until graduation was fairly similar, I lived in Oregon, kept the same like-minded friend group, and went to school. I remember feeling extremely uncertain after graduating. I knew my goals were to work outdoors and find a meaningful career path, but I really had no idea where to begin, with my only job experience being a barista. At that point in my life I felt willing to settle for any job that would keep me close to my friends, my city, and my comfort zone.
I bought the ticket, not knowing what a life changing decision it would be.
I remember hearing about Outward Bound through my cousin. She went on a coast to coast backpacking trip in Costa Rica years ago. Some sort of travel adventure was high on my list for a next step after college, though the thought of it honestly terrified me. I asked my cousin what she thought about it and she couldn’t say enough good things. She said it completely redirected her path, and helped her to solidify her true self.
She was so excited that I was considering going, though I felt huge hesitations. I remember after going through the interview process and looking up plane tickets, I had a feeling like I was about to leap off a cliff. I had never traveled outside the country, had never done any extreme sports, and absolutely feared leaving behind my social life I had spent a lifetime creating. I remember my best friend saying to me, “if not now, when?” And that really stuck with me. I realized I could probably go my entire life avoiding things that scared me. In the end I bought the ticket, not knowing what a life changing decision it would be.
I spent 70 days in Costa Rica on the Leadership Semester course. Words really cannot describe the significance of the experience. Pushing myself outside of my comfort zone for the first time lead to growth, confidence and abilities that I never thought I could have. This thought has stuck with me to this day – I felt like it was my first time truly living.
Outward Bound is different for everyone. But the constant is that it teaches us all something about ourselves and shows us we are far more than the limits we put upon ourselves. Whether it’s with white water rafting, experiencing a new culture, or learning to be a leader, I found myself to be capable of anything I let myself pursue.
Taking those leadership and outdoor guiding skills into my first job was incredibly rewarding.
After Outward Bound, I felt changed in the most positive ways. I felt like I didn’t need to put limits on my potential anymore, didn’t need to settle for the path my friends were on, and that my fears were all replaced by excitement of the unknown. The first job I got after returning home was being the sole leader of a chainsaw crew in the wilderness for two months. I know for a fact I would likely never have applied to that extreme of a job if it wasn’t for what I learned on my Leadership Semester course. And taking those leadership and outdoor guiding skills into my first job was incredibly rewarding. I lead my crew in conservation and fuels reduction projects Idaho, Washington and Oregon. We lived and camped together everyday and worked hard on trails and forests in some incredible locations. I knew I was hooked on working outdoors after that.
I then went on to my next job a month later, a Wilderness Therapy Field Guide in the eastern Oregon deserts. I lead backpacking trips for young adults during the winter, and learned all about snow camping and managing a group in extreme and below freezing conditions. Again, this work pushed me out of my comfort zone, taught me so much and felt so rewarding.
To give back and facilitate these moments of growth is what keeps bringing me back to Outdoor instructing.
About a month after that job, I received the best opportunity I could have imagined. The chance to return to Outward Bound Costa Rica as an intern! It was incredible to facilitate an experience similar to what I had the year before. I was guiding Girl Scouts in activities I so clearly remembered overcoming as a student. A moment that really stood out to me was watching a student take on the challenge of the waterfall rappel. Earlier in the day she was terrified, and I remembered exactly how that felt. After we talked and I encouraged her, seeing her take the plunge was such a meaningful moment. To give back and facilitate these moments of growth is what keeps bringing me back to Outdoor instructing.
Right now I plan on continuing outdoor work for the rest of the year and to return to Outward Bound next summer as an instructor! I am taking an Outdoor educator course this summer in the mountains of Washington to gain more guiding skills, and this winter I’ll be taking a Spanish immersion and surfing program. I couldn’t be more thankful for taking that leap and choosing to push myself in a new direction. It all began with Outward Bound, and I wouldn’t take that decision back for the world.
