Facilitators

Tanka Gurung

Tanka was born and raised in Kathmandu, Nepal. He has been working as a trek leader in Nepal for the past 11 years. He also has a degree in business from Tribhuwan University, Nepal. He was leading trips in Nepalese Himalayas whilst studying at university. He is a certified mountain climber and has climbed Mount Manaslu(8163) in 2018 and other 6000 meter peaks. Since he was born in a multicultural and multireligious country, he is always excited to learn and observe new cultures.

Kwanpanus Thantongdee

Mai was born and raised outside the city of Udonthani, northeastern part of Thailand. Mai graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English from Mae Fah Luang University. In the university, she created cross-cultural communication workshops for international students in order to help them to better understand the culture. Mai has 2 years experience working with students and schools from around the world. Also, she had so much fun working with a study abroad program which made her gain lots of passion working in educational field. Mai lately also worked with NGOs from north and northeastern part of Thailand for 6 months. She has learned about agriculture, mining, immigration, refugee, conservation, urbanization and homeless people. Moreover, she hope that her experiences and knowledge will impact and benefit communities and students in positive ways.

Magdalena (Mag) Michalczuk

Mag is an outdoor educator currently leading a nomad lifestyle. She is a traveler and a global citizen and calls many places in the world Home. Originally from Poland from Poland but she got the travel bug pretty early and moved around quite a bit. She has studied Tourism management in the Netherlands and after graduating decided to explore Asia.
She is passionate about outdoor and environmental education and experiential learning. She loves nature and animals. When she is not adventuring outside she likes to cook, eat, read and watch movies. Also enjoys playing volleyball, kayaking, hiking and yoga. She is very interested in sustainability and cultural exchange. She is a diver and avid ocean lover. Her mission is to raise environmental awareness amongst youth and inspire them to make a difference.

Thidarat Srimanas (Jing)

Jing was born and raised in the Northernmost part of Thailand; Mae Sai city, on the border of Myanmar. Growing up in such a diverse small city with ethnicities, she is very easily adaptable and interested in cross-cultures. With the loves of traveling and meeting new people, she then started working as a local tour guide showing tourists around Chiang Mai in 2014. Although, it was fun but it wasn’t enough for her. Jing decided to develop herself more in volunteer tourism industry both conservation and community development projects where she can focus more on environmental, sustainability and travel with responsibilities. She also loves to share her passions in personal development to the young people and the little small positive things they can do to make impacts to the community they live in. Jing is ready to Jump! with you again this year!

Lars Nielsen

Lars is Danish but has been living overseas for the last 15 years, either as a Peacekeeper in Bosnia & Kosovo, a summer camp Counselor & Director in New England, or an outdoor experiential education Instructor, Coordinator, Manager & Director in Hong Kong and Thailand. He is a teacher but soon switched the classroom with the great outdoors, feeling that youth needs to learn more than what’s taught in school to be successful. With a young son, Lars interests of flying and caving have recently been superseded by more paternal endeavors.

Lydia Liu

Lydia grew up and went to college in Maryland, and after graduating, decided to try working in the outdoors. She started an internship with Outward Bound’s At-Risk program in Florida, which showed her just how impactful outdoor experiences can be. From there, she instructed abroad, then most recently in California, where she discovered a love for the mountains. She has continued to pursue this field because she wants to help make these experiences accessible to young people where they can be challenged, encouraged, and immersed in a place away from their everyday lives. It is a dream to be able to work outside and grow as a facilitator everyday, and she looks forward to learning from and leading participants through reflective, fun, and transformative experiences as well!

Samantha Grill

Of all the books in the world, Sammy believes the best stories are found between the pages of your passport.  Sammy was bit by the travel bug at an early age, and she has yet to find an antidote.  With the belief that life is not meant to be lived in one place, her passion for adventure has led her to living in the USA, Ireland, China, Myanmar, and Thailand (so far).  With experience in various fields across several countries worldwide, Sammy has recently joined the JUMP! team to help others experience what she considers to be wonders of the world, to ensure everyone returns home with a story to tell, and to discover that it doesn’t matter where you are going… it is who you have by your side.

Pimpilai Sonia Rumthum

Pimpilai Sonia Rumthum was born and raised in Udon Thani, northeastern Thailand, so she understands both Laos and Thai. Sonia is passionate about sociology, which drives her traveling across South East Asia to experience the differences between the neighboring countries. Working 2 years as a student leader, Sonia likes discussions and exchanges, especially if they are about humanities and societies. She is looking forward to gaining a better understanding of globalization and human relation based on her roles and relationship with others.

Monthicha Piyasakulchai

Monthicha or Mon grew up in central Bangkok, Thailand. Originally, her great grandparents came from South of China but she could speak in Chinese only basic conversation. Her young life was quite limited. She spent her time doing many types of part time jobs whilst studying in school and university. That’s why she loves learning, doing many kinds of activities e.g. reading, playing Thai music, hanging out with friends, including improving herself. After deciding to quit her permanent job, she decided to spend her life for lifelong learning in order to improve herself and develop her community while staying near warm family in Thailand.

Seavyi Yonn

Seavyi is originally from Battambang, the city of art and culture in the western part of Cambodia. Prior to working in tourism, Seavyi spent some time working with NGOs and is very passionate about exploring the complexities of foreign aid and the development sector. He believes that creativity and profound ideas come from the exchange of stories and experiences from one another. Personal growth is the result of the challenges that we face in life, which result in us gaining new experiences. Hence, he likes to surround himself with a diverse group of people from different backgrounds and cultures. From this belief and practice, it allows him to see the bigger picture of the world we live in and how connected we are as a community. Over the years, Seavyi has been hosting many different high school and university groups from all around the world who wish to explore and learn about Cambodia.

Kate Johnston

Born and raised in Singapore to a Dutch mother and English father, Kate is the definition of a Third Culture Kid. It is a label that she wears proudly and sees as a large part of her identity. With a keen interest in learning about people, Kate holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Anthropology and Sociology. This background helps inform her perspectives towards Outdoor Education and Experiential Learning. Over the last few years Kate has translated her love for travel, adventure and learning into a career that allows her to share this passion with others.

Mimee Sounthone

Mimee grew up in Luang Prabang province, UNESCO world Heritage site in Northern Laos. She finished her study in hotel management and tourism in 2017.  She has worked for 3 summers in the industry. She knows 3 languages Laos, Thai, and English. She learned English by practicing speaking with foreigner students. Her first program with Jump will be NIST Yr 9 in Chanthaburi, Thailand.

Tindy Chen

BA in acting and performance from Guangdong Ocean university. Born and raised in a small village surrounded by breathtaking nature in China’s Jiangxi province, which had taught her tremendous respect for mother earth. Tindy is a Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner, a certified yoga teacher, an artist, a gender equality activist, an experiential and global citizen educator, she has been traveling around the world to seek for natural healing, indigenous culture, art and communities. In her spare time she enjoys reading, cooking, discovering music and dancing, being silly and funny.

Sullivan Rhoads

Sullivan’s homeland is the beautiful Pacific Northwest, Seattle, Washington. He loves being outdoors, hiking through nature, and enjoying our beautiful world. Growing up Sullivan’s passion was in theater and choir. He loves performing so much that it led him to work in Entertainment at Walt Disney World. Making thousands of dreams come true left an everlasting magical impression. He loves sharing his magical attitude with other humans. After Disney World he opened 15 restaurants across the U.S. from D.C to Florida, Arkansas to Ohio. The connections he made meeting the diversity of America forever changed him. Sully loves to help people, listen to their stories, and grow his community. He is now studying Global Studies and Social Entrepreneurship at Thammasat University in Thailand. He wants to use his love of performance to help empower the future leaders of tomorrow.

Andy Lin

Andy was born and raised in the southern Chinese city of Nanning. He spent much of his childhood there before moving to England at the beginning of his teenage years. As part of his Duke of Edinburgh Award challenge, he trekked though the stunning landscape of the Brecon Beacons and fell in love with being the nature and ever since. He had also spent time volunteering in Galle, Sri Lanka helping children from underprivileged families. These experiences led him to start pursuing a career in the outdoor education field, seeking to encourage more young people to learn to embrace the nature and to get a different prospective in this ever more digital world.

Nicholas Rio

Nick grew up in California, USA, lucky to spend time in the mountains, along the coast, and in a generally very temperate climate. Ironically it was while living in New York City that he became involved with outdoor education, leading canoe trips and going backpacking with friends. At JUMP! he hopes to continue exploring experiential education’s unique capacity to transform participants’ lives. He looks forward to facilitating programs in many places that are new to him, becoming a more intentional teacher and learner. A lifelong dancer, Nick is passionate about the arts and hopes to incorporate them into his life in Bangkok, either on JUMP! programs or on his own time.

Ramphai Noikaew

Ramphai was given a name meaning the sunshine after the rain is gone in Thai, which, to all who know her, is rather appropriate. She received her B.A. in Business English from Uttaradit Rajabhat University and holds a diploma in international air travel from London Technology College. She currently lives in a community at Pun Pun Organic Farm, Northern Thailand where she enjoys sharing her knowledge of sustainable living practices and the tradition of seed saving with visitors from all over the world. She has a passion for learning and working to heal our Earth as well as her children. She has worked with many youth groups to raise their awareness of health, community and nature.Ramphai is a long time practitioner of traditional Thai holistic healing modalities and herbal medicines. In her free time she can be found gardening, doing yoga, biking, hiking, or simply being out in the wilderness. She loves sharing her love of cooking organic food because she strongly believes that food is medicine. Ramphai believes that we can enjoy life in the present moment, everywhere we go, we grow by wisely developing our inside as well as out, and we find peace by letting go.

Gregory Pettys

Gregory has been immersed in a world of socially engaged, politically active, spiritually driven vibrancy since early childhood, when he was raised going on weekend camping trips around the United States with his Salvation Army officer parents. Somewhere between band camp and back-country snowboarding, Gregory was introduced, through Hip-Hop music, to the world of Tibetan Buddhism. An enchanted ascendance into a colorful world of wisdom-seeking and compassionate inquiry soon followed. Determined to experience the “Land of Snows” firsthand, Gregory began traveling internationally during his university years, opting first to go to Nicaragua with the Institute for Central American Development Studies, where his passion for social justice and indigenous land rights was first ignited. He eventually landed himself in Eastern Tibet where the desire to integrate mindfulness into political activism took root… He hasn’t stopped traveling since. Having served as a raft guide, a writer, a mountain biking instructor, a radio DJ, a ranch hand, an organic farmer, a ski guide, a dishwasher, a jazz musician, a baker, a candlestick maker, and an international experiential educator for over 15 years, Greg brings a smorgasbord of differing perspectives to each trip he leads.

Perrin Duncan

An Edmond, Oklahoma native, Perrin Clore Duncan graduated from DePauw University Cum Laude in May of 2017 with an Economics and Studio Art double major and Spanish minor. Though she’s proud of her roots, she continuously seeks out international immersive experiences. She received her Master of Fine Arts from The Burren College of Art in County Clare, Ireland in April 2019. Perrin is an avid cyclist and runner, always on the hunt for a good read, and given the choice she’d rather be outdoors than inside. Perrin’s personal blog and website can be found at perrincloreduncan.com. She is a proudly certified Wilderness First Responder, passionate about pursuing a life of purpose, and deeply believes in the power of education.

Dust Wang

Dust was born and grew up in a small village in central China. She was trained as an accredited social worker in Hong Kong and continued her overseas study tour to Europe later on. She lived in Xiamen, Hong Kong, Singapore, U.K., Portugal, Denmark and France before. She is quite a traveler and has been to more than 30 countries. She works for NGOs and has a special interest in children and families, especially for child protection issues. She has been active in the work with children, youth and child protection workers. She is experienced in participatory training and facilitating group work. As a person, she is energetic and open-minded. She enjoys doing out sports such as hiking and mountain trekking. She loves the connection with nature, as well as with people during different journeys!

Marcella Giovani

Marcella was born in Jakarta, Indonesia. Her passion for education, nature, and culture led her to finish her research in environmental psychology. She also plans to continue her study in the same field. She’s been working for several organizations that have concerned for peace, education, and environmental sustainability. In 2016, she started to focus more on experiential learning and outdoor education as a facilitator. She likes traveling, reading, swimming, and cycling in her spare time.

Andrew Peterson

Andy hails from north Texas but has been around the world a few times since. He studied earth science at university which deepened his adoration for nature and environment. Since then he has worked everywhere from clean room laboratories to mossy creeks. After 2017s hurricane season he decided to offer his time and energy to those in need. He learned that ingenuity, community, and optimism can be found even in dark places, and seeks to bring that light to outdoor education.

Gayatri Nadya

Born and breed in Jakarta, Indonesia. Graduated from Faculty of Humanity, University of Indonesia majoring Indonesian Linguistics. Nadya had explore and exposed to lots of cultural diversities since junior year, she learnt a lot from American Discourse, Portuguese Folk Culture to French Film History in university. She also got a chance to do exchange to Taiwan and become one of facilitator for kids from elementary school and teenagers. Although she thought traveling was one thing that drove her to go here and there, it was an life changing experience when she join peace education organization back in 2013. For her, it was traveling that push her limit to know culture and people, but in the end it’s never about the leisure to go anywhere. To be with people and feel the warmth of the culture itself are the most important thing about her journey. Currently, focusing on the diversity through cinema and use that platform to have experiential learning and deeper connection towards people. Through cinema, she can meet people, exchange valuable memories and reflecting on daily life back home. Nadya enjoy these four letter words, FILM-YOGA-FOOD-ARTS also deep and further conversation can evolve from those topics.

Desiree Lopez

Desiree was born and raised in NYC where she obtained her Bachelors in Health Care Management. After joining the workforce she then decided to join the U.S. Peace Corps as a health Volunteer in the Republic of Vanuatu, for two years. Realizing her passion for teaching sustainability and cultural exchange she began passing this on to teens in the realm of experiential learning abroad. Desiree loves to travel and connect with local customs and culture, as well as helping out wherever she can. She is a lover of all things crafty and looks forward to continuing leading students.

Oktavia Zamharin

Oktavia was born and raised in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. She has an interest in local traditions, art, and culture. She had taught the theater (drama class)for several years until she graduated and holds a bachelor degree in psychology. Her passion in learning about experiential learning methods in the field of training and development is very much in line with her current profession as an Experiential Learning Facilitator. Oktavia first joined JUMP! in 2016 during the J! Experience program in Yogyakarta. She enjoyed activities in the outdoor with various adventure, education, and development programs. Oktavia likes to sing and dance, swim, explore the beach and travel. She likes to try and learn new things and get new friends. Oktavia wants to learn scuba divingand she plans to continue her studies in the field of positive psychology and collaborate it with Experiential Learning methods.

Lidiia Demchenko

Lidiia, originally from Ukraine, got her Master’s in China Studies from Peking University. She lived in four countries (Spain, Italy, Ukraine, China)  and she speaks 7 languages. Her educational background is interdisciplinary and she has experience working in education, start-ups, NGOs and the private sector.  Her passions are as diverse as her background, she loves arts, sports, outdoors, exploration, sustainability, cultures, and languages. She looks average but she has a dozen things to surprise you with, for example, Lidiia is very strong as she does CrossFit, she can lift 80 kg in the deadlift and 40 kg in power clean.

Jacob Hirata

Jacob grew up in the tropical island of Maui, Hawaii. He grew up with two nephews as if they were younger brothers, teaching them everything from how to better their soccer skills to doing their chores. Jacob was an avid soccer player and is still an active skateboarder. After completing high school Jacob pursued higher education at The Art Institute of California in San Francisco. He graduated with a bachelor degree in digital filmmaking and video production. He then carried his knowledge further filming secret music performances with an internationally known organization called Sofar Sounds. As his ambitions grew, Jacob shifted gears to pursue a modeling career in Southeast Asia. Currently Jacob resides in Bangkok where he is now getting ready to launch his own nonprofit that centers around education through skateboarding.

Georgia Thompson

Georgia grew up in Vancouver, Canada before she moved to Scotland to obtain a Masters of Arts in Social Anthropology and International Relations from the University of St Andrews. She then began her career as an Experiential Educator with youth in Hong Kong and has since continued to work in the field for the past four years around China, Borneo, Canada and Spain. She holds her Wilderness First Responder certification and has completed training as an Emotional Intelligence Instructor in the Outdoors. She is happiest when hiking, climbing, reading, traveling and smelling like a campfire. Preferably all at the same time!

Suthasiny "Moh" Sudprasert

Moh is from the North of Thailand. She is a student of Global Studies and Social Entrepreneurship. She spent the past years in university traveling to explore and make impacts on social innovation and social entrepreneurship around South East Asia and Nepal. Making social change is difficult, yet, it allows her to develop the skills to pass on positive energy to people in the room and motivate others around her to be optimistic. She believes in creating space for young people to unlock their full potentials. 

Wigoto Prihadi

Born in the capital city of Indonesia, Jakarta, but now he lives in a village very close to Gunung Salak, Bogor, Indonesia. In high school he was active in social and humanitarian activities and joined the Indonesian Red Cross volunteer organization. He was involved in various Natural Disaster Management Teams in Indonesia. As a rescue team and post-trauma facilitator, he has been a medical team member in outdoor activities. These experiences led him to be a facilitator in experiential education, several international schools, and companies in Indonesia. He really likes to swim and now he is a swimming coach and does swimming therapy for adults who cannot swim. One of his other hobbies is to move to any rhythm, he really wants to be a dancer.

Alisara Christensen

Alisara (Ally) was born and raised in Bangkok, Thailand, and she even attended JUMP! programs when she was a student at NIST International School. She went on to study Studio Art and Design, and Environmental Studies in university, however shortly after graduation she found herself working leading international trips for youth as a Wilderness Leader and Educator. She spent this past year serving for AmeriCorps where she provided academic, social-emotional support to underperforming students and at-risk youth at a high school in Minnesota. She has developed a passion for mentoring and coaching youth and is currently exploring opportunities in the areas of youth development, counseling and generational educational support. In herspare time, you can find Ally boxing, playing basketball or tennis, or training for her next mountain bike expedition! She loves to travel and build connections with people everywhere she goes!

Yohanes Batista Hanes

Hanes was born in Indonesia and grew up in Timor Leste. After having Graduated in psychology from a university in Indonesia, he focused on work as an outdoor educator. He is a certified experiential learning facilitator and Wilderness Advanced First Aid. He has been facilitating group dynamics for over 10 years around Indonesia, most of his clients are adult. In 2018, he eager to challenge himself to handle youth program and joined for the first time JUMP!”s Program in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Recently, he works with one of NGO in Indonesia, developing people in remote areas around Indonesia through the economic sector.

Bikash Tamang

Bikash grew up in Hetauda, Nepal. He worked very hard to become a Mountain Guide. He trained in outdoor school and ran many school trips in Nepal. He has been working for many different companies in Nepal and India for 8 years. He loves to spend time in the mountains & meet new people. These experiences gave him more knowledge about mountains & nature. He is working as a Rock Climbing guide and wall climbing instructor in Nepal. Now he became a national mountain leader in Nepal.

Ilana Gordon

Ilana was raised in Argentina and attended University where she received degrees in Teaching and Environmental Sciences. Since she was a teenager, she has been backpacking in many countries and in March 2015, she left her country to travel around the world and discover new cultures. Since then, she has lived two years in the South of Mexico, where she worked in Rural Schools in water.  Those experiences cultivate her passion for women’s empowerment and social change. The last two years she has been working in Experiential Education in China, Hong Kong, Costa Rica, and Peru.

Arienta Gita Wardhani

Arienta was born in Bandung West Java, Indonesia. She graduated from Tourism Institute in Jakarta. She’s been to 20 cities in Indonesia as a local guide and tour planner. She’s been several times to European country for a peace education involving teenagers. Her passion for teenagers brings her as a camp director in Indonesia for peace education. These experiences have broadened her perspective on the importance of empowering people through understanding & acceptance. She also received her certification from Indonesia professional certification authority in Training Method. She enjoys watching movies in her spare time.

Sun Shu

Sun Shu grew up in a small town in Middle China and during his college time, he decided to view all of his motherland. For over 10 years his steps mark all the provinces in China. Lucky for him to be an author of Lonely Planet (China), he can continue the endless trip. Finally, he moved to the favorite part of big China, that is West Yunnan, including Dali, Lijiang, Shangrila, and Tengchong, etc.

Malvo He

Malvo was born in Sichuan province of China. He used to work in the international trade industry, but he found out didn’t like his face in front of a computer every day. He began working as an outdoor facilitator in Yangshuo and enjoys nature and education. He devotes himself to outdoor education and focuses on how to lead remarkable programs.

Michael Natt

Most days as a toddler Michael’s father would take him on adventures at the local swimming baths. From that point onwards he’s sought ever more exciting water bodies, added some key pieces of equipment and made buddies all over the world. A thousand scuba dives later, he’s a published marine biologist, scuba diving instructor and, arguably, mer-person. Michael wishes to educate and inspire people to conserve the natural world and believes the most effective way is through first-hand experiences. Trivia: British, drummer, lover of vines.

Zachary Schweitzer

Zach grew up in Philadelphia, where it is in fact always sunny. After graduating from university in Boston he moved to Southeast Asia, where he worked as a paralegal on the Khmer Rouge Trials in Cambodia. Since then he’s lived and worked in Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand for a variety of social and environmental non profits, picking up languages and trying his best to maneuver myriad cultural intersections along the way. When he’s not working, Zach is bounding around in nature, climbing rocks, cycling, trail running, and indulging in his inability to sit still.

Kim Casipe

Kim grew up as an advocate and a lover of life. She recently graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Biology in the Philippines. As a biologist, she has always seen the gap between scientists and people from local communities when it comes to scientific information being translated to address environmental and socio-economic dilemmas leading to her passion for environmental education with emphasis on interconnectivity and ecological understanding. She is an alumni of Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) academic fellowship.

Soel Winarno

Sulistyo grew up in Yogyakarta. He earned his degree in English from a Catholic university in his hometown. Sulistyo’s love in character building, combined with passion in adventures, led him to outdoor activities. He came to JUMP! in September 2016, with years of experience in a variety of facilitation programs, from educational urban tours to wilderness expedition trips in Indonesia, Malaysia and USA. Sulistyo now works for JUMP! running programs on character development and environmental awareness.

Coco Chen

Coco grew up in a beautiful countryside village in Southern China and finds herself deeply connected to nature. Coco cares about the people around her. She enjoys supporting other people and being supported as well. Working in experiential education and innovation education for 5  years, Coco believes that everyone in the world is a unique treasure, and one’s life mission is to unlock it. Coco moved from Beijing to Guangzhou in 2017, and now she is continuing to explore herself as well as explore the world.

Vanessa Nsouli

Growing up in South America, Vanessa dreamed of traveling the world to explore new cultures. Her first big move was to Canada. Vanessa is now pursuing an MBA at IE-Madrid with a focus on social impact. During this time of self-reflection, she also understood firsthand the value of learning by experience. She hopes that youth across the globe can have access to similar developmental opportunities/experiences. This is why she finds JUMP!’s work so inspiring and sees how impactful JUMP! can be in developing the region.

Rick Dobbie

Rick is an ex-Australian Army Officer with extensive leadership training and facilitation experience. Military appointments included command of a Leopard Tank Squadron and he was the inaugural Director of the Australian Defence Force Peacekeeping Centre. Rick has held a variety of specific training appointments that included responsibility for the personal development and leadership training of naval and military officers within the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and for regional defence forces as instructor and guidance officer.

Rebekka Flam

Born in Finland and raised in sunny Florida, Rebekka developed a love for travel at a young age. In high school, she embarked on her first solo journey in Taiwan. Since then, she spent a semester in Italy, worked summers in Finland, and volunteered as an environmental educator in Nepal. In 2015, Rebekka graduated from Florida State University with a B.S. in International Affairs and Environmental Studies. Her international experiences and her job at the FSU Center for Global Engagement sparked her interest in experiential education.

d’Arcy Lunn

d’Arcy Lunn is from Australia.  He is a global citizen educator, communications expert and keynote presenter who is passionate about teaching, sharing, volunteering, travel and learning. For the past 16 years his passions have taken him to more than 85 countries around the world – including Kyrgyzstan, Arctic Canada and throughout Africa working with UNICEF and others. Since 2009, d’Arcy has delivered a mix of information and inspiration in over 700 presentations and workshops to a blend of audiences from schools, universities and hospitals.

Katharina Kirk

Katharina was born in Moldova, grew up in Germany, lived in the USA for 6 years and has spent the last 7 years around Thailand and Malaysia. She loves to discover new places, learn about the culture there, and try new delicious foods. After Kat graduated from Utah Valley University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Science, she returned to Thailand and started implementing movement and experiential learning in her English Teaching Classes.  Kat has worked as a corporate employee trainer, a Fitness Boot Camp and Zumba Instructor.

Frank Cohn

Originally from Canada, Frank has worked with youth and community groups in over 100 rural villages and urban neighborhoods in almost 20 countries in Latin America and Asia.  He is the founder of Global Potential, a youth leadership organization with 120 volunteers operating out of offices in 3 cities. Since 2007, Global Potential has provided over 2500 youth in New York, Boston, Paris, Haiti, Dominican Republic, and Nicaragua, with transformative life experiences through travel, cultural exchange, service learning, and experiential education.

Megan Preston

Megan is from London, UK. She has facilitated 7 previous YPO Board of Directors Meetings and is looking forward to joining the JUMP! Team again for another adventure. Megan is the Founder of Move The World, a charity focused on supporting personal and community development in the UK and Ghana and works for her father’s consulting business RISE Beyond.

Dan Kinzer

Dan came to JUMP! after several years of working as an international school educator in the Caribbean and East Asia, where he taught Theory of Knowledge, IB Psychology, Humanities and History; was the faculty advisor for the Global Issues Network student groups; and coached several varsity basketball and volleyball teams. Dan has also spent time in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Suriname, Peru, and the Philippines, working to empower youth. Before joining the international school scene, Dan taught in a large public high school in northwest Florida.

Aveleigh Gateman

Aveleigh was braised in the quaint rural setting of southwestern Ontario, Canada.  In a high school surrounded by cornfields, she devoured all of the global issues and art classes she could and her passions for positive social change was ignited. She’s been traveling her own unpredictable path ever since. Aveleigh has a degree in International Development and Globalization from the University of Ottawa, as well as an MSc. in Arts & NGO management in France. She has spent the last 7 years turning into an expat – traveling throughout Europe, Asia and Africa.

Bozy Lu

Bozy hails from Singapore. She is currently a 3rd year law student at Yale-NUS College. A novice at improvisational theatre, Bozy finds pleasure in listening to stories and using humour to connect with people around her. She is extremely passionate about experiential education and have engaged in community work with youth for many years. During her free time, she roams around on her bike and with her camera. She enjoys capturing moments and snapshots of life.

Anna Roesler

Anna comes from Australia. She studied nutrition dietetics and exercise science at the University of Wollongong. Anna went to Nepal as an Australian Youth Ambassador for a year and enjoyed trekking and biking. She worked in health education throughout Southeast Asia. Anna is in Thailand now completing a PhD in health behavior change. In her free time, she likes doing laughter yoga, ultimate frisbee and hula hooping dance. She also started facilitating TeamUp mindfulness groups.

Jillian Hamby

Jillian grew up in Maryland, USA, and spent her childhood traveling to soccer tournaments and playing outdoors with her 3 siblings. During college, she spent a semester in Florence. Her experience sparked a fascination with living abroad. Upon graduation, relentless to settle for a 9-5, she decided to move to Prague where she earned a TEFL degree. After more traveling and networking, she was led to a teaching job in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Chiang Mai has been her home now for over 4 years. Hiking, camping and eating are some of her favorite things to do in SE Asia.

Elise Tong

Elise is from Kuala Lumpur. She enjoys catching up on the newest films and television series, reading, travelling around the world, and meeting new people. Elise has spent a gap year visiting Cambodia, New Zealand and France. She also has gone from working at an NGO, obtaining her ski instructorship certification, and getting a diploma for Basic Cuisine and Patisserie in Le Cordon Bleu.

Andreas Patria Krisna

Andreas is inspired with the work and the impact of JUMP! to youth, and joined in Jogjakarta in 2016 and Bintan in 2017. In the past, he volunteered teaching English for garment workers. Andreas handled corporate and outdoor training programs in Indonesia. He led expedition teams to the peak of Mt Carstensz in West Papua. Andreas is a certified Wilderness First Responder. He has a degree in theology and philosophy. Andreas loves yoga, digital art, photography, writing and watching movie.

Felipe Izquierdo

Prashant is an outdoor educator from Darjeeling, a mountainous region in India. He started rock climbing when he was14. Prashant had climbed several mountains in the Himalayas. He loves to travel, beach, coffee and motorbikes. He has a degree in humanities.

Tina Zhao

Tina has worked in outdoor education industry for 5years,she is very passionated in working on experiential education trips with kids.She has worked in many different programs with different company .She is climbing instructor and certificated PSIA ski instructor , Wilderness First Responder and PADI diving rescuer.

Jackie Dodd

Jackie is an experiential educator and nature lover who has worked to foster communication and conservation in countries including the Philippines, Cambodia, and Indonesia, mostly with coastal communities, and often underwater. She also loves using the arts, especially singing and dancing, to open people up and bring them together. She graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a BA double major in anthropology and dance and is a scuba instructor.

Prashant Sharma

Prashant is an outdoor educator from Darjeeling, a mountainous region in India. He started rock climbing when he was14. Prashant had climbed several mountains in the Himalayas. He loves to travel, beach, coffee and motorbikes. He has a degree in humanities.

Phanupong Somboon (BO)

Monika Piasecka

Monika began exploring the world right after she graduated sociology from University in Poland. Ever since she’s been making her own path across. The potential of a single human to make a change is what drove her passion for experiential learning. Monika lives by the saying that “adventure is a mindset” and rightly so, she incorporates this attitude in the programs that she runs. She found her home in India and for the last 4 years, Monika has been facilitating programs all across south-east Asia and China.

Adhi Pramudya

Adhi had been roaming on mountains in Indonesia since he was a schoolboy has been completely captivated by experiential learning since 2002. Since then he has been working for thousands of people from business people, government employees, community members and students in many settings: indoor, outdoor, urban and wilderness.

Although his career in experiential learning also shares a space with his other passion as a graphic designer for several years, he came back fully to the facilitation field in 2009 and put his whole heart in it. Adhi joined JUMP! in 2016 and has been working in facilitating and program managing for a wide range of students in different countries and different types of activities. He enjoys his time with good friends, good food, exploring nature, trying new fun things, karaoke and instagram.

Pooja Rani

Ge Qin

Ge Qin is from Yinchuan, Ningxia. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Management. She previously worked as a director with Hunan TV and CCTV. Ge Qin loves to travel. She went in Prague for an exchange program, and travelled across Europe.

Satish Man Pati

Nigel Mojica

Joshua Devan

Neha Sadananda

Darby Richards

Peter Liu

Rowan Hess

Mandy Kota

Shannon Beisley

Conrad Bergeron

Kristen Sherman

Fabricio Arguedas

Racha Kerdsilp

Racha is originally from Thailand. She has spent the past several years living in Chiang Mai and working in a volunteer tourism industry where she ran and managed sustainable volunteer projects in both conservation and community development. Racha has travelled extensively throughout Asia, Europe, North America and Africa. She enjoys nothing more than to embrace herself in new cultures, try local food, speak local language and interact with local people. She is also very passionate about her country, Buddhism & meditation and love sharing it with people from all over the world. Fall season 2017-18 will be Racha’s first JUMPing experience.

Sarah Louise Kristiansen

Ekkampon Jampa

Ekkampon is a passionate professional full of charisma and with superb communication skills. He has worked in multi-cultural environments with diverse groups and knows how to take initiative and how to make sure every voice is heard. He is a flexible, reliable, and inspiring Facilitator who is always open to hear the opinion of others.

Teodoro Angelo Villanueva

Aie Darmawan

Rachel O'Sullivan

Sondang Amelia Karansiska Situmorang

Alyson Chun

Born and raised in Michigan, Alyson has a strong background in Middle Eastern Studies, and is proficient in Modern Standard Arabic. Alyson completed her B.A. in International and Area Studies at Kalamazoo College and received her M.A. in International Development at the Monterey Institute of International Studies. For many years, Alyson co-coordinated an after-school program focused on creative expression at Kalamazoo Central High School.  Alyson continues to focus on the role of youth in the development process.

Titus Kuria

Titus is one of the founding leaders of CMETrust, an organization working to advance education by providing secondary school scholarships to students in Nairobi. He grew up in the Mathare Valley and has a good understanding of what life is like in the slum. Titus, popularly known as Tito, believes that to say life in Mathare is challenging is an understatement. It’s these barriers that he endeavors to alleviate through his contribution and participation in CMETrust and other initiatives so that the upcoming generations could have an easier access to a better future.

Liz Heller

Originally from North Carolina, Liz received her BA in Chinese Language and Literature with a minor in Sociology from George Washington University in Washington, DC. She spent her semesters interning at several child-advocacy non-profit organizations and her summers outdoors in the north Georgia mountains as a camp counselor and supervisor. She is currently pursuing a Masters degree in International Development and International Economics at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies.

Wiebke Nedel

Originally from Germany, Wiebke lives in South Africa. She works as a freelance facilitator worldwide devoting her work and life to personal development and leadership in a global context. As International Programme Manager of Educo Africa she runs wilderness and community based Social Justice and conscious global citizenship courses for groups of academics, professionals and young people from all over the world. Experiential methodology and the use of wilderness as a tool for growth and self-recognition are central in her work.

Tawun Gregory

Tawun is half Thai and half-English and grew up in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Uganda and Thailand. Growing up in a number of countries sparked his interest in experiencing different cultures and the outdoors. He holds a degree in Ecology from Bournemouth University and after graduating, returned to Thailand where he played professional football for a year in Bangkok before moving to  Chiang Mai where he works at a fitness bootcamp and as a downhill mountain bike guide. Tawun enjoys being active and can be found outside more often than not either mountain biking, fishing, surfing or hiking.

Serafina Tane

Serafina was born and raised in a religious cult in Aotearoa, New Zealand until the age of 17. When the cult fell apart she set off on a journey across continents to discover life in the real world. Her daily life is dedicated to helping create a world where every person is empowered to own their freedom and to be who they choose to be. A world that embraces all of humanity as one community, with the same access and opportunity for everyone, everywhere. She loves to connect, listen, learn, share and co-inspire with people from all cultures, backgrounds and ages.

Randall Coleman

Randy grew up in NYC and studied public policy and jazz in Washington, DC. During school he discovered a love for the environment and went to work at the U.S. Green Building Council. After working in the green building world for a few years he set his sights on another industry that impacts the environment, agriculture. Randy co-founded an international NGO called Can YA Love that helps communities grow sustainable food using vertical gardens. He is also the Creator and Lead Facilitator of The Food Trade Game, an experiential learning tool to facilitate dialogue and action, to create a more just food system.  He currently lives in Vancouver, Canada with his wife and works at the Non-GMO Project as a business analyst.

Chayot Nujan

I am a left-handed. I was born and raised in one of the beautiful diverse culture province in Southern Thailand, called Yala. I have recently got a bachelor degree in Political Science, majoring International Relations. When I was in college, I had worked as coordinator of the Thai roommates program for foreign exchange student, Institution of South East Asian Affairs at Chiang Mai University for 2 years. Besides putting my eyes on global current affair, I like arts, languages, cultures, outdoor activities and dancing. I am currently working as a nutrient cooking instructor and a dog runner.

Wendy Kung

Wendy Kung is a passionate educator and experiential travel writer who has been devoted to discovering hidden ancient sites while delivering an objective approach to different history and cultures in China. She attributes this passion to her experience as an international student in Beijing and Shanghai from 2003-2013, where she learnt the technique of listening and merit of empathy. When not working, she loves cycling and all kinds of water sports, a habit picked up during her childhood in Taiwan.

Chérie Eliana

Originally from Hong Kong, Cherie was raised in California and had lived/worked in Azerbaijan, Romania and Sri Lanka as a trainer. She is an Associate Certified Coach with the International Coach Federation, and she specialises in life coaching, teen coaching, mentoring youths and young leaders.

Amar Singh

Manuel Iniesta

Manuel was born and raised in Mexico City, where he graduated with a degree in Industrial Engineering. After 10 years of experience and training in Chinese martial arts, he followed his passion and ventured to China to learn more. While in China, he also studied the language and traditional Chinese medicine. For the past six years, Manuel participated in many cultural exchanges and volunteer programs in China, in multiple leadership roles. He has facilitated several experiential education programs for The Jump! Foundation in China and Southeast Asia. He currently works as a hiking and camping guide for the un-renovated sections of the Great Wall of China.

Amalya Megerman

Amalya is an artist and educator from New Jersey, USA. Currently based in Beijing, she has taught, done research and traveled throughout China. She completed teaching fellowships with Princeton in Asia in both Xinjiang and Hunan, and conducted independent research on women’s education and career paths in rural Hunan. Her art, which can be viewed at amalyamegerman.com, makes use of organic and recycled materials, including eggshells, bones, walnuts, sand, and shirts. Her experiential education work has included leading trips with Princeton University’s Outdoor Action program and facilitating arts and anthropology workshops with Gakko, a global, interdisciplinary education collective, in Japan and Romania. She can usually be found biking around Beijing, cooking up a storm, or reading.

Bun Khim

Bun Khim is the lead participatory facilitator and trainer at Agile and has over 5 years of experience developing, designing and delivering training for major organizations. Highly sought after, her key focus areas include skills, knowledge, economic empowerment, and cyber bullying for youth; financial literacy and sexual health for women; and low literacy financial literacy training for rural farmers and people with disabilities. Recently, she has been developing her own content for female focused financial literacy, communications and awareness as part of her new female focused taxation advisory business, LadyTax. Working across gender and age brackets, Bun has experience running micro enterprises and also mentors other women entrepreneurs. She’s currently designing a Khmer language disability social venture accelerator.

Emeline Gillingham

Emeline is a dynamic and enthusiastic French-Australian young professional interested in people, culture and sustainable development, and working in project management and stakeholder engagement in the fields of global education and Australia-Asia relations. Emeline is passionate about inspiring and empowering people, particularly young people, to create positive change and make the world a better place.

Outside of her work at the Asia Education Foundation and her volunteer committee role with the UN Association’s Young Professionals Network, Emeline is currently learning Mandarin at the University of Melbourne’s Confucius Institute. Emeline has a Master of International Relations with Honours from La Trobe University. She was a delegate of the China-Australia Millennial Project 2017.

Douglas Massel

Born in Halifax, Nova Soctia, but growing up in Ottawa, Ontario, Doug has a wild drive to explore Canada. Growing up at a sailing camp in Ottawa, then moving on to coach there and having a pool (along with two water polo playing sisters) in his family’s back yard, water has always been a huge part of Doug’s life. Adventures began after he graduated High school and signed on with the Tall Ship “Peclian of London” and did a Trans Atlantic crossing under sail. After that it was off to find few new ways to play in and around water. This led him to Laurentian University, in the beautiful landscape of Sudbury, Ontario. Here Doug studied Outdoor Adventure Leadership, along with finding a minor in Geography. Learning a bunch of outdoor skills, with a focus surrounding padding canoes, that built up to a month of paddling both flat and white-water and ending it all with a 12 day canoe trip on the Colounge River. After some soul finding in the North West Territories, he decided to make the move to Rossland, BC, to purse his love for frozen snow, i.e. snow, and snowboarding.

Doug is the class clown when it comes to being around friends and family, believing that a good laugh solves almost anything, because if you can’t find a reason to smile with those around you then what is the point in doing it. With a very competitive family he loves to play any and all sport, game or puzzle.

Sofia Grego Mora

Sofía was born and bred in Barcelona, alongside her two brothers, but her attendance to an international school gave her a taste for traveling and discovering the world. She has recently graduated from university with a degree in organizational psychology, including an exchange in crazy Hong Kong and an internship in Bogotá, Colombia. She loves singing and playing her guitar and will go crazy for animals in general. Sofia does not know what her next step is going to be, but is eager to find out.

Aditi Agrawal

Aditi got her first taste for entrepreneurship when she started and grew her first NGO at the age of 17. Since then, she has worked across the globe in the education sector, as a program manager, curriculum designer and facilitator, teacher, researcher, content developer, designer and impact evaluator. She has worked with several organisations in education globally, such as Centre for Civil Society, Educational Initiatives Pvt. Ltd., Aga Khan Foundation (Kenya) and Teach For India. Previously she led ngoFuel and College-100 (US).

Annelies Tjebbes

Annelies Tjebbes is a Biomedical Engineer and Social Innovator with a passion and drive to enable positive systems change. She is fired up about addressing inequities locally and globally and improving livelihoods in communities. She loves working with and investing in people and through her time as the Director, Community Impact at Engineers Without Borders she developed a particular passion for supporting young social innovators. Annelies now provides strategic planning and facilitation services through AnneliesVera Consulting to support NGOs, businesses and community projects. Highlights of this work include designing and delivering Indigenous Innovation Sessions across BC for the First Nations Technology Council, developing a chapter engagement strategy for the BC Cycling Association, and piloting a VR project to support the reintegration of former inmates into society. In her spare time Anneliesloves putting her creative side to use, and staying active on the soccer pitch and on her bike!

Eva Ryder

Eva is from Vancouver, Canada.  She loves spending time outdoors, traveling, and learning about new places! She also enjoys her job teaching swimming lessons.  Eva is studying international development and is passionate about education and the environment.  Her interest in these areas was sparked by a school trip to Bhutan, where she and her classmates helped the monks at the Phajoding monastery to build a new classroom.

Nic Win

Born in Salt Lake City, Utah and raised mostly in the Greater Seattle area, Nic was spoiled by the rich outside expanses of the Mountain West and Pacific Northwest. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Whitman College, where he swam at the Division III level and participated in the local school district’s mentorship programs. Nic’s international endeavors spurred after spending a year as an Americorps volunteer and YMCA-certified Personal Trainer serving underprivileged populations in Walla Walla, WA. Soon thereafter, he pursued a Teach English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) certificate and proceeded to teach English and Music at Singapore International School in Yangon, Myanmar for 8 months. He now hopes to continue expanding his and others’ minds throughout Southeast Asia.

Ratna Nisa

Ratna Nisa is originally from Jakarta, Indonesia. After receiving her degree in Industrial Technology, she moved to Bali Island where she has been living for more than 15 years. She was an Indonesian athlete doing sport climbing since she was 13 year old. She joined National, International and South East Asia competitions for achievement.

In 2008 she was introduced as a Camp Instructor at the international acclaimed Green School in Bali to run about eco-culture, nature, environmental and outdoor education. Her position has allowed her to learn even more about nature, and sustainability living. and she LOVES being in nature!! After 6 years, Ratna is now working there and creates programs for students, individuals, school groups, adults and families. She is interested to learn about nature, environmental education, outdoors education and sustainable living and some projects to help with the community and teach about eco-culture. She not only loves climbing, hiking, and nature, but she also loves surfing and diving! Ratna also leads may programs overseas as an Outdoor Educator. She hold certification and training in EFR; Water safety & Life Guarding; First Aid; AED; CPR; Leave No Trace Trainer; Professional Athlete; Basic and Intermediate Rock Climbing; Facilitating Students Program and Learning Outdoor ECO- Education. Facilitating Environmental Educations Program for International Student and Adult.

Michaela Slinger

Michaela grew up as an extracurricular activity whiz just outside of beautiful Vancouver, Canada, and thrives when in a group of interesting people working through challenges — be it performing a musical theatre production, a high stakes soccer game, or coming up with creative solutions to complex problems. She was a competitive youth swim coach for almost a decade, and also worked as a lifeguard and Red Cross swim instructor during her summers as an undergrad student at Quest University Canada. Michaela’s thesis focused on social emotional learning and social justice in education, and she designed and implemented an after-school workshop in partnership with the YMCA. After graduating, she was chosen as a 2018 SFU RADIUS Fellow. Most recently, Michaela’s been working in Vancouver’s non-profit space, as well as recording her own music.

Cat Allen

Travis Wild

Travis grew up in Michigan and now spends most of his time in California, Colorado, Utah, and Canada. He’s is primarily a landscape, product, portrait, action, and night photographer and does videography for product, travel, and weddings. He is also a writer covering many topics from travel and adventure to homelessness and social issues. In his off time he enjoys playing baseball, lacrosse, snowboarding, and playing with his dog Ayla.

Katrina Myers

Katrina began exploring human rights issues at a young age. She volunteered with Amnesty International, lobbying congressional officials across the country. This experience molded her identity, sense of self, and her place in the world. It led to her pursuit of a degree in Politics & Government. After study, she worked in a variety of sectors, from elections in US politics to international development abroad. Katrina thrives in new environments and cultures, striving to learn something new about the world around her and herself every day. You can find her balancing her all-in work style with yoga, meditation, dance, and daily reflection.  

Carson Townsend

Carson hails from Albuquerque, New Mexico, home of the most beautiful sky in the world. Carson has lived in Chile, Morocco, Spain, and New England (which he considers to be a foreign country), and over the course of his escapades, he has developed a passion for coffee-snobbery, urban cycling, and youth empowerment, the lattermost passion leading him to JUMP!. With an eye to showing the world the benefits of experiential education as an effective avenue to youth empowerment, Carson is excited to be a part of the JUMP! community!

Yunghan Chang

Sarah Vázquez

Ami Oktari

Laura Lam

Laura is an advocate for impact-driven businesses, and brings a combined background of communications and research. She has worked with startups out of UBC’s venture accelerator, entrepreneurship@UBC (e@UBC). She is leading initiatives to promote greater diversity amongst entrepreneurs, and looking to see how to create more equitable opportunities. Previous to e@UBC, she worked as a Strategy Analyst for a clothing retailer, conducting research projects and compiling quarterly reporting systems. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of British Columbia, with a specialization in marketing and sustainability. Outside of work, Laura is part of a local organization combatting human trafficking, as well as the Vancouver Rent Bank. Laura is an avid traveler, hockey geek, amateur gardener, and experimenter of new recipes.

Kalyan Keerthi

Other than schedules and curriculum of School and College, most of Kalyan’s growing up and education has been through my “travel pursuits”. Learnt essential life skills to tread through the mountains, breathe in higher altitude with ease, walk through the valleys and passes, fly in the air with sails and zeal dive into the deep seas and earned a living as an outdoor consultant.

A passionate person who has experiences in the field of Education –Creating and leading Mountain biking expeditions, Setting biking trails, Ropes course activities, Leading high altitude /trail hikes, Facilitate Water sport activities ,Create and lead high altitude motor biking expeditions, he also has rich experience in Nature Conservation and Census Wildlife programs in India .

Will Ji

Will grew up in Beijing, China and graduated from RPI in NY USA. Will has a global vision
of Education. During college, he fellowed the dean of ECSE department and had done a
few projects on OpenCV. When he came back to China, he founded Electricats Maker Edu, an
organization that supplies maker education courses to schools. He has now become the
consultant of ISB and PKU school and has been teaching more than 1000 students.
Will joined the JUMP! Team in 2017 and has been recruited several times for
computer related courses.

Dahan Peng

Dahan was born and raised in Beijing. After graduating from Urban Design in England, she went back to Beijing and started to pursue her passion in Film and Photography. She has a spectrum of experiences on film sets from camera to lighting to the art department, as well as production and acting. When off-set, she is an independent photographer and script writer. Right now she is working on her documentary series aimed to raise awareness for gender equality.

Vikraant Singh Sanwal

Arienta Gita Wardhani

Arienta was born in Bandung West Java, Indonesia. She graduated from Tourism Institute in Jakarta. She’s been to 20 city in Indonesia as local guide and tour planner . She’s been several times to European country for a peace education involving teenagers. Her passion with teenagers bring her as a camp director in Indonesia for peace education. The experiences has broaden her the important of empowering people through understanding & acceptance.

She also got her certified from Indonesia professional certification authority in training method. She enjoy watching movies in her spare time

Oktavia Zamharin

Oktavia was born and raised in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. She has an interest in local traditions, art, and culture. She had taught the theater (drama class) for several years until she graduated and holds a bachelor degree in psychology. Her passion in learning about experiential learning methods in the field of training and development is very much in line with her current profession as an Experiential Learning Facilitator. Oktavia first joined JUMP! in 2016 during the J! Experience program in Yogyakarta. She enjoyed activities in the outdoor with various adventure, education, and development programs. Oktavia likes to sing and dance, swim, explore the beach and travel. She likes to try and learn new things and get new friends. Oktavia wants to learn scuba diving and she plans to continue her studies in the field of positive psychology and collaborate it with Experiential Learning methods.

Emily Dymond

Emily grew up in Essex, England before her family emigrated to New Zealand when she was seventeen. A change of pace and a country full of natural beauty saw Emily develop a passion for the outdoors and adventure. After graduating from University with an Arts Degree she packed her bags and moved to Asia to begin working seasonally as an Outdoor Educator moving destination every three months. Emily is happiest when laughing with friends, walking around a new destination or searching for good food.

Lewis Jepson

BiIlly Lu Wen Jing

Sara Lewis

Sara is a Registered Clinical Counsellor who works with a diverse population of youth and adults in BC. Canadian born and raised in England, Sara returned to B.C. to complete her Masters degree in Psychology in 2012. She now lives with her dog Cooper in North Vancouver, and loves exploring the North Shore mountains. In her spare time, you can find her hiking, snow shoeing, painting, cooking or spending time with friends.

Maria Rubinchik

After several years of traveling, Maria has settled back in her home of Vancouver, BC, where she spends her free time rock climbing in Squamish. Maria has a Bachelor’s Degree in Tourism Management, and has been working for the YMCA of Greater Vancouver for the last 6 years. Maria is passionate about working with youth and young adults, as well as increasing her knowledge on mental health in the community.

Alice Shaddick

Alice is an Australian with a great love of travel and Outdoor Education. She spent ten gruelling but rewarding months studying with Outward Bound Australia in 2015. She has since used her qualifications in Outdoor Education to travel the world working in in Nepal, Cambodia and Malaysia. One of her career highlights was traveling to Dhading in Nepal where she worked in remote villages that had been affected by earthquakes and landslides. Here she helped teach first aid, and taught the community about emergency response techniques. Alice is passionate about expanding her own comfort zones and also those of the participants she works with.

Travis Scherschel

Olivia Kafka Sackler

Olivia’s Anthropology and Environmental field studies in school have brought her to the Galapagos Islands, South Africa, Banff national park, and even an eco-village outside Asheville, NC. Beyond her travels with school, Olivia has spent summers traveling since she was twelve. She has led hiking trips in New England, backpacked through Yellowstone, biked from Seattle to San Francisco, sailed from 3,000 miles, studied animal behavior in Costa Rica, done community service and SCUBA diving while hiking through Fiji and Australia, and led outdoor trips in Northern California for young teenagers. Olivia takes great pleasure in sharing outdoor experiences with others, something she has done as a pre-orientation trip leader and co-president of the outing club at the College of Charleston.

Camille-Alexie Chalifoux

Cami grew up in Montreal, Canada. After completing a degree in performance arts, she packed all of her belongings to follow her passion, the outdoors. She chased the mountains instructing snowboarding and yoga in Japan, New Zealand and around the Canadian Rockies. She developed a strong interest in experiential education working as a tour guide, leading youth on road trips around North America to expose them to social and environmental issues. These experiences have cultivated her enthusiasm to empower young people to find what makes them feel alive and build self-confidence to discover their own potential.

Untac Nem

Isabelle Perry

As a native Californian, Izzy grew up outdoors. Since her early days of playing in the dirt, she has gone on to guide outdoor trips in Hawaii, California, and other parts of the US. She has also guided various outdoor activities in Hong Kong and parts of mainland China. Her personal hobbies closely coincide with her work passion, so she loves to mountain bike, do yoga, hike, and of course, eat food. From managing five backpacking stoves, to using her shoes as a pillow, Izzy loves being outside and having fun with kids.

Melissa West Morrison

With one foot in cedar and another in bamboo, Melissa is on a life long journey of catching the flow of her ancestors. She is from the ‘Namgis Nation of Yalis, Alert Bay. With the gift to walk multiple worlds, she works to facilitate conversations and opportunities for both communities she is from to come together, learn more about each other and to create spaces for bridges of solidarities to form between all cultures and communities. Her undergraduate degree was in First Nations and Indigenous Studies and minored in Law and Society as well. Exploring her mixed roots identity is also at the heart of Melissa’s artistic manifestations. Through the creation of fashion designing, poetry writing, filmmaking, photography and getting involved with land-based education, she explores topics of love, identity and what it means to find (be) longing through (dis) placement and how one can have body sovereignty through all this.

Gabrielle Pulig

Gabby grew up on the West Coast of the United States. She started her career in education as an Earth Science Teacher and established her foundation of facilitation skills in the classroom. Her love of the outdoors brought teaching opportunities across the nation at numerous outdoor education schools, farms, and most recently Directing and leading backpacking trips at teen-adventure travel companies. Gabby is always excited to empower her students and create accessible opportunities for all to work on their leadership skills in an outdoor setting!