Hometown: Chicago, IL
RLT Alumni: Call of the Wild '16, Bon Bini '17
Education: DePaul University
Working: Research Lab at DePaul University
Dana (also DW) grew up in the city of Chicago and attended high school downtown, but living in the city has not stopped her from connecting with the outdoors. She has always had a love for nature and conservation. Her first trip with RLT to Colorado was a powerful experience that inspired her to pursue her dreams and desire for adventure without hesitation. She went on to work at the Shedd Aquarium in their learning department throughout high school to help do her part in inspiring people to love the natural world and feel connected to it. As she began to fall in love with marine biology there, she dove into her next adventure with RLT in Bonaire. Dana found conservation and diving as her calling while working in the coral nurseries and went on to attend Conserve School to spend an entire semester as a wild child in the North Woods of Wisconsin studying environmental science, stewardship, and outdoor skills. She currently has her AOW with PADI and hopes to work her way up to a DiveMaster certification. Dana is now a freshman studying at DePaul University and is working on paleoecological research relating to shark species that lived in the ancient Western Interior Seaway. She hopes to become a conservation biologist and be able to dive with as many different species of sharks as possible! Dana loves animals (she has eight pets!), traveling, and "dessert carbs" . She is so excited to be back with RLT as her experiences with them helped inspire her passion and she would not be who she is today without them. Dana can't wait to meet the participants and share an incredible summer with them!