It's time to meet your Instructors for the Spring 2022 Mini Semester Programs!
Hawaii Mini Semester Program | Instructors: Liz & Natalie
Hailing from the great state of Colorado, Liz is stoked to be instructing for Pacific Discovery again. Her early years consisted of playing in the dirt on the softball field, taking her playing to Lehigh University and then in Germany. Playing professionally was a great joy and exploring new places continued calling. That bug took her to New Zealand where she lived and worked instructing students through New Zealand and Australia. She can’t wait to meet her Hawaii group and work with these students to push them, support them, grow with them, mentor them and experience new things.
Natalie was born on the eastern shore of Maryland, and spent her summers exploring the estuaries and lands surrounding the Chesapeake Bay, teaching her the importance of environmental stewardship through conservation and community action. After graduating from University of Maryland, Baltimore County with a dual degree in Psychology and Sociology and minor in Political Science in 2015, she realized education did not simply occur in the 4 walls of the classroom, and took a gap year to travel North America with her sister and a semester program in Southeast Asia with Pacific Discovery! The experience with Pacific Discovery was so influential for her self-growth and passion for cultural exchange, that she moved to Nicaragua to assist local communities with health and sustainable development projects for 6 months. Through these travels, Natalie has gained such an appreciation for the importance of community and self growth, even in challenging moments and is excited to help support students within Pacific Discovery programs!
Costa Rica Mini Semester Program | Instructors: Justin & Lauren
Reigning from the rocky shores of Victoria, B.C., Justin loves all things outdoors. For over half his life, he has been an avid rock climber, scaling cliffs in Senegal, China, and western North America. In 2008, he competed for Canada at the World Youth Climbing Championships in Sydney Australia. Linguistically, Justin is fluent in French, speaks Spanish conversationally, and knows a fair bit of Mandarin. In 2010, his zest for discovery took him 8,607km cycling from the west coast to the east coast of Canada. Over the years, Justin has facilitated engaging outdoor educational programs for youth in Central America, China, France, and Canada. More than anything, Justin loves to share his passion for adventurous self-discovery with young aspiring minds.
Originally from the Bay Area, Lauren spent her early childhood running around in the sunshine and forests of Northern California where she developed a love for adventure in the great outdoors. At the age of nine, she and her family moved to England, which instilled in her an insatiable curiosity about the world and a deep respect for all you can learn from immersing yourself in a new place and different culture. Since then, Lauren has sought out opportunities to do just that all over the U.S. and abroad. Lauren got her start in education as a Teach for America corps member in Phoenix, Arizona. She quickly became passionate about integrating experiential learning into the classroom and expanding access to enriching educational opportunities. For the past ten years, Lauren has been working as an educator in all kinds of environments and locations, most recently in Italy and Greece on a gap year program and in Denver Public Schools as a founding teacher of World Literature, French, and Senior Projects. She can’t wait to learn more about her Pacific Discovery students this season!
Thailand Mini Semester Program | Instructors: Amber & Lucy
Amber comes to you from the cornfield-covered state of Wisconsin (and you bet, she’s a proud cheesehead). In college, Amber studied Psychology, Education, and Studio Art at Lawrence University, and during that time completed two study abroad experiences in London. It was here that the travel bug first bit her. After graduation, she spent two and a half years in Australia, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia where she worked as an au pair, travel booking receptionist, in the service industry, and in hostel accommodation. Upon return to the US, she worked as an Instructor in a therapeutic wilderness environment before entering into Higher Education where she has held positions at two college campuses. Amber believes a gap experience is one of the most powerful approaches to a holistic emergence into adulthood and is looking forward to helping students connect deeper with themselves, others, and the natural world during their Pacific Discovery program.
Lucy grew up on the Jersey shore collecting seashells and swimming in the sea. While studying at Arcadia University, she spent two semesters abroad in South Africa and India, then decided she wanted to travel the world forever. After college, she served in the Peace Corps and spent two years in Zambia. Lucy goes with the flow and lives where she ends up. Since Zambia, she's lived in New York City, New Orleans, London, Boston, and currently San Francisco. She considers herself an exceptional problem solver because once while camping when her french press broke, she made coffee in a sock. She's held a diverse array of jobs from a-balloon-animal-making princess for kids' birthday parties, kitchen product demonstrator, podcast host, waitress, and teacher. She's devoted to social justice, art, and educating kind and mindful citizens. She's happiest on a bicycle; and loves laundromats, her grandma's attic, and forests.
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