Work

Before I started teaching, I had the happiest collection of careers in what I like to call ‘the best quarter-life-crisis ever.’ Check out some of the roles I stepped into on my journey below:

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I spent the fall of 2014 working with some pretty amazing kids as a 1st grade classroom assistant and tutor at a public school in the barrios of Granada, Nicaragua. I found this volunteer position through La Esperanza Granada, a local nonprofit that does some amazing work to improve the lives of children in the area. While I encountered many, many challenges at my school, I also learned many important lessons and was touched by the joy of so many children who so have very little. Want to know more about my time with La Esperanza Granada? Click here to browse.

Some of my favorite posts about Esperanza Granada:
Photos of Life at Escuela Pablo Antonio Cuadra
My Advice to Future Volunteers of La Esperanza Granada

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The summer of 2014 was a great transition away from Park Service work, as I still got to live in beautiful Rocky Mountain National Park while commuting to the Boys & Girls Club in nearby Estes Park. I didn’t write nearly as often as I would have liked to during that time, mostly because BGC rules say we can’t post pictures of our children or use their names in a public forum like this. That’s fair, but it was those kids that made this summer so magical. You can browse all my posts about my time with BGC here.

Some of my favorite posts about The Boys & Girls Club:
How This Summer Resolved My Quarter-Life Crisis

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I’ve spent three seasons as a park ranger here, crawling around the ancient ruins of this sacred place. You can view all of my posts on my time at Mesa Verde here. 

Some of my favorite posts about Mesa Verde National Park:
A Happy Anniversary
My First Negative Comment Card (Thank You For Your Sunshine)

 

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I spent one magical winter working as a Children’s Alpine Ski Instructor in Keystone, CO. Injuries, weather, and travel plans have all gotten in the way of a return, but here you’ll find my recollections of one of the best snow years Colorado has on record!

Some of my favorite posts about Keystone Ski & Ride School:
Colors of the Wind
The Things Kids Say

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No matter where life has taken me these past few years, I’ve somehow always found a way back to the place that started it all for me: Canyonlands. I’ve worked here for 2 extended periods and 3 times total at this point. For all of my accounts of my adventures in this barren, beautiful place that has become home, click here. 

 

 

Some of my favorite posts about Canyonlands National Park:
Nightmare on Syncline
Saying Goodbye to Canyonlands