Update from Colorado

Mt Ouray saddle; tiny Eliza on the far right

When people ask me exactly what I do for work, it's hard to know where to begin. I started as Residential Life Faculty and Wilderness Instructor at the High Mountain Institute in Leadville, Colorado in July 2012, though I'd spent a semester here as a teaching apprentice in 2010. As a member of the faculty, I implement HMI's mission and core values with students on a day-to-day basis, which means different things every day – I might be teaching students how to slackline, facilitating a conversation on the use of language in a small community, working with a group of students to cook dinner for 50 people, meeting with the 7-person apprentice group about how to foster a safe environment for students in cabins, empowering elected student reps to plan a coffeehouse, and – of course – leading a group of students through the canyons in Utah or the Colorado Rockies and teaching English on the side of a mountain. 

Teaching a leadership class in Grand Gulch; see ancient ruins in background

I love the variety of tasks this job throws at me, the culture of feedback and insistence on promoting personal growth amongst faculty and students alike, the dynamic and dedicated team of teachers and administrators, the smart and excited students from all over the country, and the epic mountain backdrop. I also love my cute campus apartment with the 30-second commute.

For those who would prefer a visual, HMI has a great promotional video that wraps it all up pretty well.
Here it is.

Open invite to "stop by" Leadville (though it's really not on the way to anything :-) ) for a visit!