|
The Road Less Traveled is defined by its leadership. Great leaders make great adventures. The leaders of our expeditions (some having more than a decade of experience on RLT) are, quite simply, the best. RLT demands the ultimate responsibility in life; more than just leaders, they are guardians, in the most genuine sense of the word — essentially a parent to every child. Our leaders are up to the task and find there is nothing more challenging or rewarding.
Genuine, spirited, friendly, athletic, well-educated and well-traveled, our leaders are experts in wilderness adventure, service learning, culture and language. They are responsible, committed to those around them, purposeful and bold. Each leader is selected personally for their ability to prevent and solve problems, their capacity to relate to and enjoy our young people, their language skills and travel experience, and their knowledge and love of the places we visit. Our leaders take care of all the details, but more importantly, they take good care of you. Best of all, they’re the kind of people you want to spend your summer with.
Interns are past participants who truly represent The Road Less Traveled experience, having shown an exceptional level of skill and an innate understanding of our philosophy. We have watched them grow into outstanding individuals during their summers with us and are proud to have them as members of our staff. Interns are over age 18, have obtained Wilderness First Responder certification, and act as support staff to our leaders.
 |
Valerie Alt, Oberlin College, B.A.
A seasoned traveler of Latin America and Southeast Asia, Valerie’s newfound interest is documentary filmmaking. Her latest film chronicles the lives of Bolivian street children. When not found with a camera in hand, she’s probably holding a basketball. |
|
|
 |
Kimberly Bartlett, Brown University, B.A.
After five years working at a non-profit serving people with disabilities in San Francisco, Kimberly, a veteran RLT leader, has decided to brave Chicago winters while working in the RLT office. When not at work, she is happiest traveling or singing karaoke to her favorite Kenny Rogers tunes.
|
|
|
 |
Bekah Bauer, University of Wisconsin, B.S.
Bekah is an avid outdoorswoman and works in Outdoor Education at the Dunn School in Los Olivos, CA. Time spent kayaking, hiking, star-gazing, and smiling make her the most happy. She plans one day to revolutionize the way health is managed in her home state, as well as across the United States. |
|
|
|
Ellen Bee, Indiana University.
Ellen's interests range from exploring unknown places, snowboarding, backpacking, playing in the rain, and stretch to a strong passion for community service and learning from those around her. Aside from reaching out and helping a hand in need, Ellen will make the world a better place by spreading her infectious smile and genuine kindness.
|
|
|
 |
Anna Becker, Bemidji State University, B.S.
Anna is a Minnesota native and explorer of the natural world all over the globe. Her greatest realizations come while sitting in the tree tops, cliff faces, and mountain summits of the world. Currently she teaches science and outdoor education on the shores of Lake Superior in Minnesota. |
|
|
 |
Mike Connor, Plattsburgh State University.
Mike enjoys being outside so much, he is making it his career. A teacher at heart, he is most happy teaching wilderness skills to young people. He hopes to one day climb the seven summits of the world and to play with penguins and swim with sharks. |
|
|
 |
Jeff “Mooie” Davis, Ohio Wesleyan University.
Mooie is an avid disc golfer who is happy that he finally made it to Colorado. He grew up with a map of the state next to his bed. After his summer with RLT, he is headed to New Zealand to dig in the snow and continue his studies of snow science (snow stability and avalanche forecasting). |
|
|
 |
Paul D’Elia, George Mason University, B.A.
Paul is among our most entertaining leaders. He resides in Leadville, CO and enjoys loads of mountain time — on his bike, snowboard, and climbing rope. During the year, he works as a freelance educator teaching students about craftsmanship, stewardship and other words that end in “ship.”
|
|
|
 |
Lauren Doucet, Southern Methodist University.
Lauren spent two summers as a participant on the Road Less Traveled and is now thrilled to be a leader. She is working on her Business Degree and competes on the varsity women’s rowing team. In her free time she can often be found daydreaming about the future adventures that lay ahead. |
|
|
 |
Meghan Gibas, George Washington University, B.S.
As a Teach for America biology teacher in Gallup, New Mexico, Meghan brings her infectious personality to the Navajo Reservation of the Southwest. A strong advocate for the vital impact of nature on today’s youth, Meghan is often found outdoors, carving new trails in fresh powder, backpacking with her dog or sleeping under the stars.
|
|
|
 |
Max Gibson, Naropa University, B.A.
Max spends his year in the highest city in North America – Leadville, Colorado. He keeps busy by playing backgammon, rock climbing, and shoveling tons of snow. Max is well known at RLT for his stellar hand-stands! |
|
|
 |
Shane Gillispie, Occidental College, B.S.
Shane first fell in love with the outdoors while riding a horse home from preschool and venturing on his first backpacking trip when he was only four years old. Best known for his rugged good looks and amazing sense of humor, he also enjoys making connections with people in the outdoors. This year you’ll find him criss-crossing the Asian continent. |
|
|
 |
Bradley Halpern, University of Rochester.
Bradley, a veteran RLT alum busies himself with student government, photography, and music in upstate New York. Passing along his contagious enthusiasm, RLT knowledge and commitment during the summers, not surprisingly, his favorite new job is leading RLT trips with amazing new people each year. |
|
|
 |
Matt Hart, Prescott College.
In between guiding trips for the students of Prescott College and his professional photography business, Matt can be found poring over guide books of the world’s most remote places. Besides being one of our most skilled expedition leaders, he has a soft spot for romantic comedies starring Meg Ryan.
|
|
|
 |
Bevan Herbekian, UC Santa Cruz, B.A.
Whether it’s turning a poem by Hafez into a beautiful lullaby or making a jingle about being a hobbit, Bevan is sure to mesmerize with his musical talents. A Californian at heart, he balances his time working on his latest album and saving the world, one note at a time.
|
|
|
 |
John Heydinger, Carleton College, B.A.
John hopes to spend as much of his time outdoors as possible. He enjoys reading good books and spending lots of time with his friends. |
|
|
 |
Amelia Hintzen, Carleton College, University of Miami, PhD Candidate.
Since graduating college, Amelia has worked in development with Latino youth. She is currently a PhD student in the History Department at the University of Miami with a focus in African-American and Caribbean history. In her free time, Amelia likes to travel, bike, camp, and do anything that involves being in the water. |
|
|
 |
Elizabeth Kennedy, University of Texas at Austin.
Born and raised in rural East Texas, Liz now moves often and travels as frequently as possible (she’s lived, studied, and worked in Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Brazil, and Uruguay). She lives life with passion, especially in regards to social justice and sustainable international development – both of which she hopes to pursue in a PhD program in the fall of 2010. |
|
|
 |
Stephanie King, Amherst College.
A native Chicagoan who has been on more RLT programs than fingers on your hands, now calls Amherst College home. When not found studying Chemistry and Economics, she’s out enjoying the great Northeast or working to change the world! |
|
|
|
Evan Kramer, Colgate University.
Dividing his time between upstate New York and northern California, Evan lives to be outside exploring. His travels have taken him all over Latin America where he’s planted gardens, built schools and cooked tamales. His smile and sense of humor are infectious, and he is well-known for his subhuman knowledge of Broadway show tunes.
|
|
|
 |
Meredith Landis, Cornell University.
Meredith, joined RLT with a B.A. in Spanish Literature, International Relations and Latin American Studies. An elementary school teacher, who now calls San Francisco home, she can sometimes be found marveling the wonders of public transportation! |
|
|
 |
Stefan Lallinger, Brown University.
Stefan is a secondary school Social Studies teacher at Langston Hughes Academy in New Orleans, Louisiana. His favorite activities include traveling, reading, cooking and eating, learning languages and playing sports, especially soccer and basketball. He is also completing his Master’s degree in History at the University of New Orleans. |
|
|
 |
Lauren Larcano, Worcester State College, B.S.
Lauren spends most of her year serving the young and old as an occupational therapist in the Bay Area. Resettled from New England, Lauren is often found running at five a.m., practicing yoga or rock climbing. When she is not on the move, she can be found snuggling with her pet gila monster.
|
|
|
 |
Monique Markoff, Cornell University.
Monique spends her the bulk of her year shaping young minds as a Teach For America math teacher in the Bay Area. An avid outdoorswoman, Mo gets outside as much as humanly possible – from rock climbing to camping to backpacking Europe – she is game for any adventure. |
|
|
 |
Willie McBride, Colorado College.
A city-born Chicagoan at heart, Willie now resides in the San Francisco Bay Area and works as a carpenter, builder, and artist, while still finding time to focus on the myriad of amazing outdoor opportunities nearby. Whether trail running in Marin or Yosemite or climbing impeccable alpine rock on the peaks of the high Sierra, Willie still cannot live without the grit of urban humanity. |
|
|
 |
Rebeca Millan-Cruz, University of Michigan, Washington University in St. Louis, M.S.W.
Rebeca’s grandfather, who taught agriculture as a professor in Puerto Rico, instilled in her, on many walks through his small family farm, that nature has a way of teaching lessons that can not be learned between walls. This life lesson is what motivates her to nurture others in the outdoors. |
|
|
|
Ellie Moore, Middlebury College.
With a zest for new experiences, she is circumnavigating the globe, one state, one country, one trail and one mountain at a time. A lover of all things poetic, she enjoys the ocean at sunrise, carrying her home on her back over long distances, making music and laughing until her stomach hurts.
|
|
|
 |
Madelyn Morris, Brown University, B.A.
Bilingual in Spanish and English, “Mad-Dog” adds tremendous personality and spunk to all of her expeditions. A bacon, summer sausage, and African goat roast enthusiast, Madelyn now spends her off-season in Spain, gearing up for her summers with RLT.
|
|
|
 |
Brian Neufeld, James Madison University, B.A., University of Maine, M.Ed.
After growing up on Long Island, Brian was called to the East African country of Kenya, where he served as a teacher with the Peace Corps. He currently calls Washington, D.C. home, where he teaches middle school science and cultivates tomato plants.
|
|
|
|
Andrew Nimmer, UC Santa Cruz, B.A.
Renowned for his charm, Andrew enjoys walking the redwood forests of California and playing guitar. When not leading for RLT, Andrew can be found teaching wild science in San Francisco. He also slam-dunks well and jumps for every photo opportunity.
|
|
|
|
Renee Phillips, Cornell University, B.S.
Renee is extremely fond of the wilderness. When she’s not motivating her 9th graders to learn Algebra and Geometry with Teach for America, she enjoys hiking, camping, biking, and swimming. Renee hopes to visit all of the National Parks in the United States before she’s 80.
|
|
|
|
Kyle Piispanen, Prescott College, B.A., Oregon State University, M.A.
Kyle has devoted his studies to understanding the relationship between rural communities and the environment, a mission that has taken him to Mexico, Panama, and Bolivia to work on a variety of community-based sustainable development projects.
|
|
|
 |
Lilly Fink Shapiro, Wesleyan University.
Known around the world for her foreign language skills and, infamous purple pants, Lilly’s stupendous enthusiasm and famously warm personality make her the gal everyone wants to be near. When she’s not working in the outdoors, you can find her baking bread, dancing, and studying anthropological theory in the Bay Area. |
|
|
 |
Ben Stein, Washington University St. Louis.
Our rising-star intern, is among the most magnanimous and beloved of leaders serving at RLT. Having grown up with the company, its philosophies and veterans, his leadership is a testament to what life with RLT can be.
|
|
|
 |
Sarah Thompson, Pomona College.
Sarah splits her time between her native Charlotte, NC and school in southern California. She enjoys exploring California from skiing in Mammoth to hiking in Joshua Tree to sailing in San Diego. She loves to travel, meet new people, listen to music, and eat octopus. |
|
|
|
