Field Instructor/Guide
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Colin is a vibrant soul with a passion to work with youth in the outdoors; helping them to find the fire that lives within to enjoy the gift of life. Colin found his love for all-things-mountains when he moved to Colorado to obtain his B.A. in Exercise & Sports Science with an emphasis on Education and minors in Outdoor Leadership and Mathematics. He climbed all fifty-seven 14,000ft mountains in Colorado before graduating with honors receiving the highest regard of the Alumni Award of Excellence. His graduating plan in 2011 to teach mathematics at an outdoor based school took a turn when he followed his heart and bought a one-way plane ticket to New Zealand instead of starting his student teaching. This lead him to the realization that his passion was more about helping youth to unfold to their highest potential through outdoor experiences, meaning relationships, and cultivating their dreams. After two and a half years of travel in the South Pacific and Asia he returned to the states in 2014 and stepped fully into what he believed to be his true path.
Colin deepened his compassion for youth working in wilderness therapy in Idaho and many mindfulness studies around the world. Through his work leading service immersion trips for teenagers to many countries for the past few years, he has traveled to over 20 countries, diving into their cultures and furthering his sense of a shared humanity. At 30 years old he felt a shift inside from his nomadic ways and honored a calling to settle in Alaska. Colin joined the Onward & Upward team as our work ignites his heart more than anything else he has ever done. Besides the education from so many worldly travels and his undergraduate degree, Colin has obtained the following certifications:
- Wilderness First Responder
- 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training
- Youth Mental Health First Aid
- Basic Archery Instructor