Outdoor Education Profiles
Undergraduate Program Alumni
Robin Larson, '07
I entered the UNH Outdoor Education program as a freshman in the fall of 2003. Throughout my four years I experienced an education that balanced classroom work, field experiences and hands-on learning. I thoroughly enjoyed the skills classes and the various opportunities for leadership and outdoor experiences. One of the highlights of my education was studying abroad in Patagonia, Chile with the National Outdoor Leadership School. All of my credits easily transferred to UNH, and I came back to the OE program with a new depth of hard-skill knowledge and a stronger sense of leadership.
After graduating I completed an internship with Adventures Cross Country (ARCC), an outdoor adventure company located in Northern California. I returned to New Hampshire this fall to complete my master's degree in Elementary Education. I am currently student-teaching third grade at a local elementary school and am learning to incorporate many of the skills I learned in the OE program into my "traditional" classroom. After I complete my degree this spring, I am headed to Wyoming to begin an Instructor Course with the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). I hope to work for them in the future as an instructor.
The two best parts of the OE program for me were the faculty and the opportunities to gain new skills. The OE faculty is amazing and go above and beyond their job. I consider many of my professors more than teachers, but mentors and friends. It has been an amazing experience to talk with professionals who are some of the best in the field and learn new skills from them first hand. I feel very fortunate to have had the outstanding experiences that the OE program has provided.
Tom Vatistas, '07
I came to the Outdoor Education program with a childhood rich in outdoor experiences like fishing, backpacking, and canoeing, all in the backcountry of New Hampshire and Maine. Having climbed Mount Washington at age seven and Mount Katadhin shortly after, I developed a strong sense of connection to the wilderness early on.
Originally a student in the natural resources department, I discovered Outdoor Education as a way to focus on the human-outdoor connection. My EMT class was taught by retired firefighter/paramedic and outdoor enthusiast Ken Hult, and it became my favorite college course. Already a member of Madbury Fire Department, I joined McGregor Memorial EMS in the spring of my sophomore year and began to volunteer regularly as an EMT. Other experiences that reaffirmed my interest in wilderness medicine included an EMT teaching assistantship and taking wilderness EMT, a required Outdoor Education course.
I spent the summer of 2007 completing my Outdoor Education internship at Kootenai Helitack, located on Kootenai National Forest in northwest Montana. The Helitack crew's primary objective is initial attack of backcountry fires, but the crew also supports large fires, conducts search and rescue, and medevacs injured persons from the backcountry. After completing my internship, I look forward to pursuing nursing school and a career in emergency and field medicine.
Andreas John, '07
I found myself in Keith Russell's office the fall semester of my sophomore year, looking for a new direction in my life. Through conversations with Keith, a wonderful mentor and fast friend, it became clear to both of us that my new home was in the Outdoor Education program at UNH. For the remaining years of my college experience I thrived in the OE program. The experiential nature of the degree fueled my passion for learning and I was given the opportunity to really invest myself in my own education. The combination of intensive writing projects, speaking and presenting often in front of my peers, learning tools for processing and facilitating groups, and honing my ability to lead outdoor trips gave me an invaluable degree in life skills. My focus in Outdoor Education gradually led me to a minor in Sustainable Living offered through the Natural Resources department. The combination of these two degrees gave me the confidence to pursue my dreams in life.
At the moment I am living my dream at Metta Earth Institute in Lincoln, Vermont. My wife, Anne Marie, and I live together with Russell and Gillian Comstock, the owners of this breathtaking piece of land, and are co-creating with them to start an educational retreat center focusing on ecological yoga, mindfulness, holistic healing, and sustainability. Throughout this summer season I have been the head gardener for our working Community Supported Agriculture (C.S.A) garden. My other work dives into all arenas including teaching yoga, developing new programming, ecovillage design, building infrastructure (yurts, wall tents, greenhouses, etc.), and working as head chef along with my wife. We will begin offering more full time programming next summer as our infrastructure and permitting processes continue to develop over the winter months. I feel so blessed to be here in Vermont living my vision. Thanks so much to UNH and the Outdoor Education department for being such a great catalyst in my life!
Andrew D. Coppens, '04 (B.S., Honors)
I came to the UNH Outdoor Education Program as a transfer student. Studying in the O.E. Program had been an aspiration of mine since a high school teacher introduced me to adventure methodologies in his sociology class. In the O.E. Program I found opportunities to expand and test my abilities in a number of ways: the collaborative design of an honors curriculum personally fit to my interests, an internship with the chair of the New Hampshire State Board of Education, faculty support of advanced academic study, and unique teaching experiences through the program's close affiliation with the Browne Center for Innovative Learning are some examples.
Currently I am an environmental educator in rural Nicaragua with the US Peace Corps. In collaboration with public schools in and around my small town I help teachers use environmental education activities to integrate traditional subject matter such as math, Spanish, history, and civic education into engaging experiences for their students. By building and maintaining gardens, tree nurseries, and compost stations, for example, teachers and I are able to teach the environment, build competencies such as problem-solving and critical thinking, and connect students' and families' everyday needs with educational concepts. I use the skills and understanding I began building in the O.E. Program to help a struggling country meet both its environmental and educational development goals.
For me, two of the most notable strengths of the Outdoor Education Program were its flexibility and the support of its faculty - both amplified through the Honors Program. Each time I expressed an interest in learning more or being exposed to different things, I found faculty members eager to help me make that happen. Through the O.E. Honor's Program I was often able to sit down with a professor before beginning his or her class and co-design the curriculum that would guide my studies. I would encourage any motivated student in the O.E. Program to use the department's Honors Program to enrich their experience with advanced studies and one-to-one collaboration with O.E. and/or other faculty members. Wendy Manus ('02) said it well in her profile: knock on professors' doors, look for challenges, and be a "go-getter."
Kate McGlynn ’99 (B.S.) and ’06 (M.A.)
When looking into college programs, I came across the O.E. Program at UNH. After a few visits to Durham, and some time exploring other programs around the country, UNH stood out. The faculty and students, combined with the outdoor adventure possibilities in New England made UNH a clear choice. After four years of studying, hiking, camping, and more studying, I graduated from the OE program in May of 1999. The following fall, I interned at The UNH Browne Center, where I did logistics and program support for youth and adult programs. Over the next few years, that work turned into a part-time, and later, a full-time job. Currently, I still work for The UNH Browne Center as a Program Coordinator, managing our multi-day corporate programs.
Throughout my time in the OE program, I always felt part of a tight community of students and instructors. This factor enhanced my college experience because I always knew someone would be there to support and encourage me. Through my interactions with the O.E. students and faculty, it is clear that culture continues today.
Colleen O’Brien, ’01
Colleen came to UNH for the Outdoor Ed program fresh out of high school. Her high school mentor and Outing Club advisor was an Outward Bound instructor, and recognized her love for outdoor pursuits as well as her strong leadership skills. He recommended the UNH OE program to her, and she knew immediately that she had found her niche. Colleen graduated from the OE program in 2001, completing her internship at New Heights in Portsmouth, NH. She continued to work at New Heights for two years as their Adventure, Logistics and Outreach Coordinator. She has also logged hundreds of days at the Browne Center, working with groups of all ages on the low and high challenge courses.
Colleen coupled her outdoor education experience with sustainability studies, which she has since decided to pursue at the Master's level at Tufts University in Boston. Her ultimate goals are to combine Outdoor Education with her graduate degree, teaching sustainability concepts in an experiential setting. The leadership and theory courses of the OE program have proven invaluable as she designs curriculum for youth, works with various organizations and institutions, and implements programs that focus on conserving natural resources.
Some of her favorite memories of being in the OE program are the many weekends spent becoming proficient in various technical skills. Whether it was huddled in a sleeping bag in Cabot Cabin in -20 degree weather, watching the sunrise while climbing Long's Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park, or finally pulling the crux move on her first 5.11 trad. lead, the stories are endless and the friendships she made while in the OE program are lifelong.
Wendy Manus, ’02
Wendy Manus is the program coordinator for Outdoor Explorations, an inclusive disability organization in Medford, MA that encourages personal growth through outdoor adventures. She oversees the planning, curriculum development, implementation, and safety of all outdoor adventure programs, service projects, and trainings. She has extensive involvement in the recruitment, training, scheduling, and evaluation of OE's 75+ field volunteers.
Right after graduation, Wendy was hired as the adventure recreation coordinator for North Andover Youth Services in MA. The position, which she used to satisfy her OE internship requirement, gave her "the freedom to create as many (adventure) programs as I wanted." She designed new summer adventure trips, ran the town's challenge course located in the town forest, and conducted after-school activities at the youth center. The 28-element ropes course allowed her to create free activities for local kids and low-cost programs for schools and churches, and she helped local teachers integrate adventure elements in traditional academic subjects.
At UNH, Wendy minored in elementary education, worked at the Browne Center leading challenge programs, and functioned as a teaching assistant in many OE courses, which she said "helped me develop my teaching style." Her advice to current students: "Don't take the easy path. Seek out challenges." She also encouraged students to be a "go-getter" in gaining experience and seeking jobs. "What I did in the first week in my job was just like the Outdoor Leadership class," she said, referring to the planning and organizing required in delivering programs to local schools and agencies. She also credits the Leadership Practicum (semester placement with a local organization) and Organization and Administration of Outdoor Education courses with preparing her well for full-time employment, where she could immediately assume program administration responsibilities.
Dave and Shelby Boynton, ’03
We graduated from the UNH Outdoor Education Program in Spring of 2003. After graduation Dave bought a small kayak company and started an adventure school in the lakes region, which also involved his internship. Shelby's internship consisted of running challenge course and rock climbing programs and creating a risk management plan for Operation Venture in Londonderry, NH. After her internship Shelby directed programs at a youth center and was a Supervisor at Eastern Mountain Sports.
Currently, we are now the Directors of an adventure camp called Adventure Links in Paris, Virginia. We create and run all of the programs year round, find participants, as well as hire, train and manage 40 staff (including some UNHers!). As Directors we are using all of the skills we learned and fine tuned at UNH.
We value our experience at UNH for the lifetime friends, professional contacts, and a working knowledge of the Adventure Industry. The things we found most useful through our education was taking Organization of Administration of Outdoor Education, going to the AEE conferences and getting our EMT certification. The UNH Outdoor Education Program has the flexibility that allowed Dave to pursue professional kayaking with the US National Kayak Polo Team and Shelby to acquire a useful double major in Psychology. Outdoor Education at UNH gave us the confidence in our skills, professionalism in our actions and useful knowledge to be able to pursue great, full-time careers in the Outdoor Education industry.
Josina Garnham, '99
Josina is the Coordinator of the Executive Development institutes at the University of New Hampshire's Whittemore School of Business and Economics. Her primary area of responsibility is in preparing, managing and evaluating executive leadership development programs. She is also actively pursuing a Master's degree focusing on Leadership and Group Development.
Josina came to the Whittemore School of Business with a background in experiential education. She worked for a number of years as an independent facilitator and then as a program coordinator for the University of New Hampshire's Browne Center for Innovative Learning. While working for the Browne Center, Josina taught Challenge Course Management, coordinated youth and student programming and worked closely managing an annual four-day corporate leadership development conference.
Prior to working at the Browne Center, Josina was the Assistant Teambuilding Director at Pennsylvania State University. In this capacity she worked with clients on program development as well as facilitating team trainings with students, faculty/staff and community groups.