Elliot Wilson – Vermont to Montréal
Connecticut-native Elliot Wilson joins the Apogee team this summer as a rising junior at Bates College. Before he became a Bobcat, however, Elliot spent time living in France, where he learned to speak fluent French, which should come in handy as he leads our Vermont to Montréal trips! At Bates, Elliot manages to balance his Politics major, leading Outing Club trips, serving as a JA (dorm advisor), and slinging discs on the Ultimate Frisbee team. Passionate about the outdoors from a young age, Elliot spent a semester of high school at Leadville, Colorado’s High Mountain Institute, and he continued his work in the outdoors during his time working for a land trust in Durango, CO this past summer. Elliot has always made a point to work with youth, too; he’s served as a YMCA camp counselor, worked at the Blue Door Art Studio art camp, and taught ski racing at Ski Butternut in the Berkshires. In addition to all of his school work and extracurriculars, Elliot still finds time to volunteer at the Trinity Jubilee Center in Lewiston, Maine to help local patrons with job applications, resumes, and enroll in health insurance. Elliot’s dedication to working with youth in the outdoors and engaging with his communities – not to mention his impressive ability to catch grapes in his mouth at long range (a skill sure to come in handy this summer) – make him a perfect for the Apogee community!
Grace Leslie – Vermont to Montréal
Though Grace Leslie calls “The Land of Ten Thousand Lakes” home, she can’t wait to head east to lead our Vermont to Montréal trips this summer! Raised in Orono, Minnesota, Grace caught the bug for the outdoors at a young age exploring alongside her twin brother. After returning from a leadership trip abroad her sophomore year of high school, Grace found herself struck by what a powerful impact her leaders had on her, inspiring her to seek out ways to provide that same impact for others. For the last five years, Grace has spent her summers nannying for local families, taking camping trips to the Boundary Waters in northern MN, and, as a member of Carleton College’s varsity track and cross country teams, training for her upcoming seasons. A rising junior at Carleton, Grace is an environmental science major and a Residential Adviser. As busy as these responsibilities keep her, she also makes time to volunteer at a local elementary school to help students with school work and to teach them about current environmental issues. This volunteering isn’t new to Grace, either; she dedicated over 100 hours of her time each year as a leader of her school’s National Honor Society and Youth In Action club. We’re thrilled to welcome Grace’s community-mindedness, enthusiasm, and general Minnesota-nice personality into the Apogee family this summer!
Zach DiNardo – Vermont to Montréal
Hailing from Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, Zach DiNardo joins us this summer to lead our Vermont to Montréal bike trips. A rising junior at Carleton College in Minnesota, Zach has been seeking out interesting and varied opportunities from an early age. This started in middle school when his Science Olympiad team made it to Nationals. Then, in high school, he was involved in the marching band and served as co-president of his school’s environmental club, Green Haven. While at Carleton, Zach has continued his intellectual explorations by doing summer lab work in pursuit of his Chemistry major; spending one summer researching cancerous tumors, and another studying the development of zebrafish. In keeping with his varied-interest theme at Carleton, Zach is also a member of the informal dance team, an enthusiastic participant on the club soccer and frisbee teams, and a Residential Advisor. In addition to all of this, Zach is a mentor for a local elementary school student, meeting with him weekly while he is at Carleton. This is not his first experience working with youth either, as he has also served as a counselor-in-training for two summers at a local summer camp, where he was responsible for running activities for all ages. Zach is excited to be a part of his students’ growth over the course of their trip, and we’re excited to have him as a part of our Apogee community this summer!
Camille Britton – Vermont to Montréal
Growing up in Boulder, Colorado, Camille Britton is no stranger to stunning landscapes and we’re so happy that she has agreed to trade the Flatiron Mountains for the Green Mountains as she leads our Vermont to Montréal trips this summer! Adventure, travel, and adventure-travel have been a part of Camille’s life from an early age, she has been hiking, skiing, and sailing with her family for as long as she can remember. It was in high school, on a trip to Peru, where she learned the importance of organized adventure-travel for young adults first hand. She has continued to pursue travel opportunities for the past two summers – working for an organization Writing Through in Cambodia, rafting the Grand Canyon, and working on a farm in Spain. A rising junior at Wesleyan University, Camille has found a way to combine her love of the natural world and academics through her double major in Earth and Environmental Science and the College of Letters. Outside of her studies you can find her on the water, as a Junior Captain of Wesleyan’s sailing team and also as a coach for young sailors, ages seven and up. We couldn’t be happier to have Camille join us this summer, and we know that her enthusiasm, love of community, and sense of adventure will be an inspiration for her students!