What inspired you to work for The High Desert Center (HDC)?
A deep love for the natural world, community living, and old fashion fun brought me to my work with the HDC. Witnessing students and groups transform inspires me and I am continually amazed that my work-life feels so meaningful, full of adventure/travel, and results in so many deep and lasting relationships.
Spending time backpacking in the desert
Describe a typical day at work.
There is no such thing as typical around here! Each program is unique because we encourage student participation in shaping what we do and where we go. Plus we interact with the broader world, so who we meet can inspire our next adventure. If there is anything I can count on it's a good hug, a deep laugh, interesting conversation, and good views.
Why do you do what you do?
At the High Desert Center, we live what we teach. I am constantly asking myself:
- Am I feeling inspired by my life?
- Do others thrive in my presence?
- Are my actions in line with my values, creating a world I want to be part of?
I haven’t always liked my answers.
As leaders, our job is to model the compassion, perseverance, and patience it takes to grow. I’ve practiced doing this for myself a lot over the last eight years. I am happier as a result. My relationships are deeper. I laugh more often.
I’m not afraid to put in the work when someone shows me a blindspot, which used to be scary and send me into a pit of despair. I feel more confident and powerful in my life. This commitment to growth and learning inspires me in my work with the HDC.
What are some current projects you are working on?
I'm currently working on a masters degree in counseling and I've been really excited about meditation. I'm really excited about these new undertakings. The skills I am building support my work at HDC with students, guide me as we develop our curriculum, and also support my family as we work together to run our business.
Climbing a mountain during staff orientation
What advice would you tell your pre-travel self?
Take five minutes each day to slow down and sit with yourself. A loving-kindness practice is a great way to tap into self-care when you're on the road.
Don't be afraid to ask questions. Most people are touched when you take an interest in them and their life story. It builds connections and draws you deeper into your experience.
Do the dishes—it's a universal way to show your appreciation!
What makes your organization special?
I’m usually proud of our team on a regular basis. We are family—we laugh together and we grow together by rising up to meet all the challenges that inevitably arise. We are deeply involved in one another’s lives and care about each other’s well-being.
I am especially proud of our team when we get in there and listen to a participant to the point where they feel seen, understood, and accepted in a way that perhaps they’ve never experienced before. That’s when big shifts start happening.
It’s exciting for all of us to watch our participants step up and take responsibility for their lives, their community, and contribute to the well-being of the world.
Why should someone choose your organization over competitors?
I think if you are looking for a program where you have the opportunity to experience profound personal growth, then that’s us. We’re also open to having crazy adventures that come out of conversations with participants so that there’s a sense of co-creating the program.
This program also gets you off the beaten path, away from tourist attractions, and invites you to see the world in a new way.
A sweet sunset dinner
What is your organization's mission and how do you continue to work toward it?
We are committed to creating a world that is cooperative, sustainable, and fun—every day, whether we’re getting participants purposely lost so they can master orienteering skills, harvesting produce for our evening meal, speaking with people who live on the US/Mexican border to learn about American water policy, or working on our communication skills, we believe that it’s possible to do meaningful work and learn in a way that’s exciting and inspiring.
Running programs in this way means that we work together - staff and participants - to carry this vision forward as a team.
What do you hope participants take away from your programs?
I believe that adventure is a mindset, and a key quality of a good adventure is that it challenges you. We hope that participants develop an appreciation for tolerating a level of discomfort.
An uncomfortable conversation can be just as scary and rewarding as climbing a steep, unstable mountainside. On the other side of that conversation, it can feel like suddenly there is so much more possibility.
You might know yourself or the other person better, and that can feel like you’re on top of the world.
All of our programs require a level of simple living, like pumping water from a high alpine lake or peeing in the woods, staying with a family who speaks a different language or cooking meals from scratch. I think that there is a part in each of us that needs a level of discomfort to feel alive—it makes the comforts you enjoy later all the more enjoyable.
Learning about the history of the Colorado river in Mexico
Why is it important for people to travel abroad and experience new cultures?
We travel for an experience of newness, for our own growth, and for what we will learn. I think it is important to travel to awaken these desires inside of us and then to bring them home with us so that we can walk around our own home with our eyes open, our minds engaged with curiosity, and our hearts open with compassion.
What does meaningful travel mean to you?
When I think of meaningful travel E.M. Forster's Howards End comes to mind. He wrote, "Only Connect," encouraging the reader to make the connection between the head and the heart, between thought and feelings. Only then, can we live a life of purpose and become a force for good.
For me, meaningful travel is all about connection—to the people, the history, the culture, the food, the landscape which all weave together to make a rich tapestry of experience.