Email: [email protected]
Bachelors: Operations and Information Management, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Hometown: South Windsor, CT
Background: Before 2017, I had never carried a backpack with more than a few books in it or climbed anything other than out of bed. But it all changed when I talked my way into a summer job answering phones and making coffee on Alaska’s Matanuska Glacier. There I learned to climb, hike, and paddle, but most importantly to love the outdoors- and I found a career in it along the way. Since then I’ve lived and worked from Alaska to Antarctica, doing anything from mountain guiding to packing cargo planes. My true passion is in helping people discover their own adventure in life- which we do every day here at the OP! Certifications: AIARE Rec 2 (Avalanche rescue/ Winter backcountry travel), R-EMT in Colorado, Wilderness First Responder, 7 Years of professional mountain guiding, and 3 years of ski patrol
Why you work at the OP: I believe that the outdoors is for everyone and that we are all made better through the challenges and community that human powered adventure provides. I work at the OP because I want to help anyone who is seeking adventure outdoors to find it, and find something new about themselves along the way.
Favorite outdoor activity: It’s like choosing a favorite child! All of them! (but probably skiing. Or ice climbing. Or birding. Or maybe mountain biking. Or…)
Fun Fact: I once had a job scrubbing toilets and moving poo in Antarctica- and won the prestigious title of the ‘Prince of Poo’
Mantra/Fav Quote: "And so it turned out only a life similar to those around us, merging with it without a ripple, is genuine life and that an unshared happiness is not happiness at all." - John Krakower, Into the Wild
Email: [email protected]
MS Recreation Resource Management, Utah State University
BA Business, University of Dallas
Hometown: Grove City, PA
Background: After spending two years as the president of the University of Dallas Outdoor Program I worked for the Forest Service for three years in trails, developed rec, and as a snow ranger. Following my time with the Forest Service I became the Utah State University Outdoor Program graduate assistant. I've been the assistant coordinator at CMU since 2022.
Certifications: Desert Mountain Medicine WFR/WFA Instructor, AIARE II, Avalanche Rescue, EMT, PCIA Climbing Wall Instructor, Mesa County Search and Rescue
Why you work at the OP: I work to get students away from the stress and screens and into the outdoors making friends and learning skills! I also love the variety that comes with the job!
Favorite outdoor activity: Rock climbing, backcountry skiing, and backpacking
Fun Fact: One of my favorite hobbies is chainsaw carving!
Mantra/Fav Quote: “Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.” - Terry Pratchett
Major: Mathematics with an emphasis on Secondary Education
Hometown: Brampton, Canada
Why you work at the OP: I feel the most alive when I am experiencing the outdoors and I want to share those experiences with other people.
Favorite outdoor activity: Highlining and Crack Climbing
Fun Fact: I can solve a Rubix Cube.
Mantra/Fav Quote: Be honest. Be kind.
Major: Cellular, Molecular, and Developmental Biology
Hometown: Salina, Kansas
Why I work at OP: I love doing fun things outdoors, especially with people who share the same interest in outdoor activities.
Favorite Outdoor Activity: Mountain Biking
Fun Fact: I’m on the CMU triathlon team.
Mantra/Fav Quote: A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.
Major: Elementary Education
Hometown: Littleton, CO
Why I work at OP: To share the therapeutic powers of the outdoors and get to know people I wouldn’t have otherwise met.
Favorite Outdoor Activity: Climbing, rafting, hiking, and skiing.
Fun fact: I can juggle things that are easy to catch and I make linocut prints!
Mantra/Fav Quote: You can’t help others until you help yourself.
Major: Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology
Hometown: Arvada, CO
Why you work at the OP: I wanted to work with a community that shares the same passion for the outdoors to help educate and create opportunities for others to do the same!
Favorite outdoor activity: Skiing, Backpacking, and Climbing.
Fun Fact: I have an identical twin sister!
Mantra/Fav Quote: Be good, or be good at it!
Major: Outdoor Recreation Industry Studies with a minor in Environmental Science
Hometown: Orange, CA
Why do you work at the Outdoor Program? I work at the Outdoor Program because I love introducing people to my favorite outdoor activities, as well as, connecting with others who enjoy going outside.
What is your favorite outdoor activity? Climbing, rafting, and slacklining!
Fun Fact: I love making bread.
Mantra/Fav Quote: “The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.” - Marcus Aurelius
Major: Nursing and a Spanish minor.
Hometown: Boulder, CO
Why you work at the OP: Nothing excites me more than exercising and exploring nature with like-minded people who are stoked to do things outside. I also enjoy sharing my love for the outdoors with others who haven’t really had the opportunity to do so before.
Favorite Outdoor Activity: trail running, backpacking, skiing, rafting, and so much more!
Fun Fact: I can speak three languages:)
Mantra/Fav Quote: Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.
Major: Outdoor Recreation Industry Studies
Hometown: Palisade, CO
Why you work at the OP: I work at the OP because it allows me to spend time with a community of people who value positivity, passion for their favorite activities, and kindness. I love this place because it's where I have found my people. Nowhere else have I experienced the friendships, kindness, and support that I have here. Additionally, the op allows me to be a part of students finding new and exciting passions for the outdoors!
Favorite outdoor activity: Climbing mountains, ultrarunning, and fly fishing.
Fun Fact: I have absolutely no sense of smell and never have.
Mantra/Fav Quote: Don't stop when you're tired, stop when you're done.
Major: Outdoor Recreation Industry Studies
Hometown: Pine River, MN
Why you work at the OP: I work at the OP to get outside with new people.
Favorite Outdoor Activity: Rafting!
Fun Fact: I used to have an upside-down tooth
Mantra/Fav Quote: Some people live and learn, some people just live.
Major: Outdoor Recreation Industry Studies
Hometown: Broomfield, CO
Why you work at the op: I love to be able to facilitate people's first-time experiences in the outdoors in the hopes of creating ever-lasting changes.
Favorite outdoor activity: I enjoy rock climbing, whitewater rafting, and kayaking. I have been climbing for over 3 years with a predominant amount of time being spent outdoors rather than gym climbing and am all around a trad climber. My favorite type of rafting trips are overnight trips that require more than one day to complete the section of the river. I also do commercial raft guiding during the summer season, recently guiding on the Arkansas River near Buena Vista Colorado. Some of my favorite things about the outdoors are being able to disconnect from the world for a while and immerse myself in my surroundings in the natural world.
Fun Fact: I was born in Florida.
Mantra/Fav Quote: “In a walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks” – John Muir
Major: Exercise science
Hometown: Anchorage, AK
Why I work at OP: I work at the OP because I love the outdoors and want to share experiences in nature with anyone and everyone. I love taking people out to partake in an outdoor activity - especially for their first time. Whether it be learning to climb, hike, or even just seeing the stars without light pollution - it is very touching to see and feel the joy that comes from these experiences.
Favorite outdoor activity: rock climbing, mountain biking, and skiing.
Fun Fact: I can walk on my hands.
Mantra/Fav Quote: “the universe is basically an animal. It grazes on the ordinary. It creates infinite idiots just to eat them.” - Rick from Rick and Morty
Major: Outdoor Recreation Industry Studies
Why you work at the OP: To continue to express my love for the outdoors, and share an endless passion to make lasting memories and friendships along the way.
Favorite outdoor activity: Backcountry Snowboarding
Fun Fact: I can recite just about any South Park Episode.
Mantra/Fav Quote: It's all mental
Major: Criminal Justice
Hometown: Eagle, CO
Why you work at the OP: To get outside and enjoy the world.
Favorite outdoor activity: Off-roading in my truck
Fun Fact: I go off-roading in my Tacoma.
Mantra/Fav Quote: Ride for those who cannot.
Major: Outdoor Recreation Industry Studies, EMT Basic
Hometown: Appleton, WI
Why I work at the OP: I love all types of outdoor activities and I think helping people have fun and memorable experiences in the outdoors is super rad.
Favorite Outdoor Activity: Mountain Biking
Fun Fact: I've knocked my front teeth out twice.
Mantra/Fav Quote: Ride fast, take chances.
Major: Studio Art, Environmental Science
Hometown: Denver, CO
Why I work at the OP: I love being surrounded by people who share a similar mindset and similar passions as I do, and working in an environment full of respectful and kind people who all seek to raise each other up. (See also: what always makes me smile)
Favorite outdoor activity: Immersing myself completely in the experience and allowing myself to be completely awestruck by the little things; to lose myself in the little inkling corner of the universe that we get to be aware of. (Backpacking and rafting are my favorite for this kind of experience, climbing is super fun too)
Fun Fact: I'm a painter.
Mantra/Fav Quote: C'est la vie. That's life.
Major: Social Work
Hometown: Virginia Beach, VA
Why I work at the OP: To connect students to nature.
Favorite outdoor activity: Skateboarding
Fun Fact: I eat way too much ice cream.
Mantra/Fav Quote: You can either make yourself miserable or you can make yourself strong, the amount of work is the same.
Major: Outdoor Recreation Industry Studies with minors in Spanish and International Studies
Hometown: Steamboat Springs, CO
Why I work at the OP: I work at the OP because I love spending time outdoors and want to help others have great experiences in the outdoors as well.
Favorite outdoor activity: Rafting and skiing.
Fun Fact: When I was 5 I lived in a 1987 VW van named Lucky Blue with my family for 5 months and traveled around the US and Canada.
Mantra/Fav Quote: "-and then I decided adventures are the best way to learn"
Major: Pre-Nursing
Hometown: Grand Junction, CO
Why I work at the OP: I work at the OP so I can spend time outside, with other stoked folks, while also developing leadership and facilitation skills.
Favorite outdoor activity: Rock climbing
Fun Fact: I was named after my great-grandma.
Mantra/Fav Quote: When I am on a challenging trad route, I bring myself back to the present moment and my breath by reminding myself "I'm still here, I'm still present, I'm still in it"
Major: Outdoor Recreation Industry Studies
Hometown: Norwalk, IA
Why I work at the OP: I’m stoked about sharing outdoor experiences with others. The OP is the most amazing resource to do that.
Favorite outdoor activity: Biking and Skiing!!
Fun Fact: I own a hermit crab named Henrita.
Mantra/Fav Quote: "The universe provides”
Major: Environmental Science
Hometown: Grand Lake, CO
Why I work at the OP: It's a great community!
Favorite outdoor activity: Snowboarding
Fun Fact: I used to be a wildland firefighter.
Mantra/Fav Quote: Life's for living!
Major: Outdoor Recreation Industry Studies
Hometown: Castle Rock, CO
Why I work at the OP: I work at the OP because I love the outdoor community and the opportunities that it gives students!!
Favorite outdoor activity: Rock Climbing
Fun Fact: I know all the lyrics to Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen.
Mantra/Fav Quote: Seek discomfort.
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Hometown: Erie, CO
Why I work at the OP: I want to share the outdoor experiences that I love.
Favorite outdoor activity: Mountain Biking
Fun Fact: I have a huge love for dogs.
Mantra/Fav Quote: Of all the paths in life, make sure a few are dirt.
Major: Outdoor Recreation Industry Studies with a minor in Social Work
Hometown: Memphis, TN
Why I work at the OP: I work at the OP because I really love watching new students grow in their outdoor adventures and getting Veterans back outdoors!
Favorite outdoor activity: Rafting!
Fun Fact: I have a three-legged dog
Mantra/Fav Quote: "I don't know where I'm going, but I promise it won't be boring" - David Bowie
Major: Outdoor Recreation Industry Studies
Hometown: Grand Junction, CO
Why I work at the OP: I work at the OP for all of the opportunities that are available: from honing my skills to learning new skills from people who are passionate about what they do; to being able to share my skills and experiences with others; and most of all, I work there for the atmosphere and the connections and friends I continue to make the more involved at the OP I get.
Favorite outdoor activity: Whitewater kayaking and snowboarding
Fun Fact: I love the outdoors, but my all-time favorite hobby/ activity involves cars. Driving really fast in a fast car is my all-time favorite hobby, along with working on and building cars for on and off-road purposes. It is a very expensive hobby though, so it is not something that I get the opportunity to do very often anymore.
Mantra/Fav Quote: “I don’t look on the bright side, I’ve built a house there.” - Bliss n Eso- Off the Grid
Major: Outdoor Recreation Industry Studies
Hometown: Grand Rapids, MI
Why I work at the OP: I work at the OP to inspire others to love the outdoors.
Favorite outdoor activity: Skiing and Fly Fishing
Fun Fact: I can secretly talk to fish.
Mantra/Fav Quote: “In every walk of nature one receives more then he seeks." - John Muir
Major: Environmental Science and Outdoor Recreation Industry Studies
Hometown: River Falls, WI
Why I work at the OP: I work at the OP to make rent and have fun while doing it!!
Favorite outdoor activity: Rock and Ice Climbing
Fun Fact: I love popcorn and eat it every night.
Mantra/Fav Quote: “it’s not tennis” - Vince Anderson
Major: Outdoor Recreation Industry Studies
Hometown: Palm Springs, CA
Why I work at the OP: I work at the OP because I love all the people there and want to get more veteran students in the outdoors.
Favorite outdoor activity: Rafting 100%
Fun Fact: I have a sweet cat named Watermelon.
Mantra/Fav Quote: “Climb the mountains and get their good tidings" - John Muir
Major: Outdoor Recreation Industry Studies
Hometown: Ridgway, CO
Why I work at the OP: I work at the OP to gain experience for my future within the Outdoor Recreation Industry and learn how to teach others outdoors.
Favorite outdoor activity: Fly Fishing
Fun Fact: I made a short film in my garage during the pandemic lockdowns that won best Screenplay at the New York Film Festival.
Mantra/Fav Quote: Don’t take life too seriously, you’ll never make it out alive.
Major: Undeclared
Hometown: Gunnison, CO
Why I work at the OP: I work at the OP because being in the outdoors with people is where it’s at!
Favorite outdoor activity: Mountaineering
Fun Fact: The first 14er I hiked was Uncompahgre Peak.
Mantra/Fav Quote: “Look around you’re here!”
Major: Outdoor Recreation Industry Studies
Hometown: Fort Lupton, CO
Why I work at the OP: I work at the OP because my life is infinitely better because of all of the experiences I've been given the opportunity to take advantage of. Also because rock climbing...
Favorite outdoor activity: ROCK CLIMBING
Fun Fact: I got my head tattooed in someone's shed in Puerto Rico.
Mantra/Fav Quote: “I am no longer shrinking to be digestible. You can choke."
Major: Environmental Science
Hometown: Canon City, CO
Why I work at the OP: I work at the OP because it gives me a chance to help students gain opportunities to learn new things and try new activities, creating amazing experiences.
Favorite outdoor activity: Ice and Rock Climbing
Fun Fact: I have two crazy dogs that put me to work everyday!
Mantra/Fav Quote: Just live your life.
Major: Cellular, Molecular, and Develpomental Biology
Hometown: Tampa, FL
Why I work at the OP: I work at the OP so I can help introduce the outdoors to my peers in a safe and fun way.
Favorite outdoor activity: Backcountry skiing
Fun Fact: I've skied more 14ers than I have hiked.
Mantra/Fav Quote: "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."
Major: Outdoor Recreation Industry Studies
Hometown: Grand Junction, CO
Why I work at the OP: I work at the OP because I love being able to connect to nature with amazing people.
Favorite outdoor activity: Skiing and Rafting
Fun Fact: I'm an amateur line dancer.
Mantra/Fav Quote: “I am not adventurous by choice but by fate” - Van Gogh
Major: Environmental Science
Hometown: Boulder, CO
Why I work at the OP: I work at the OP to have fun in the outdoors, gain experience, and meet new people.
Favorite outdoor activity: I love to climb the mostest, but any activity outside is always solid.
Fun Fact: I make handmade sketchbooks in my free time.
Mantra/Fav Quote: "I live vicariously through the photosynthesis of others."
Major: Environmental Science
Hometown: Lake Havasu City, AZ
Why I work at the OP: I work at the OP because I love taking people outside. I want to create the same opportunities for students that this program has created for me.
Favorite outdoor activity: Rafting
Fun Fact: I was born with crooked feet and wore casts for the first few months of my life.
Mantra/Fav Quote: "I don't know where I'm going but I know exactly how to get there" - The Lion Tracker's Guide to Life
Major: Outdoor Recreation Industry Studies
Hometown: Alexandria, VA
Why I work at the OP: I work at the OP for the community that is part of the program, and to be around others that enjoy the same sort of hobbies that I do.
Favorite outdoor activity: Anything water related, kayaking, rafting, fishing, etc.
Fun Fact: One fun fact is that I am a water ski instructor during the summer.
Mantra/Fav Quote: “Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt” - John Muir