Rounding out our 2025 Leader Bios are yet another amazing group of folks who will be hiking, biking, kayaking, climbing, stand-up paddleboarding, and rafting throughout New England. Without further ado, here they are!
Name: Kate McDermott (she/her)
2025 Trips: Vermont to Montreal and Maine Coast Junior
Hometown: Hastings-on-Hudson, New York
School: Colorado College, Class of 2027
Certifications: Wilderness First Aid, Wilderness Swim Safety & CPR
Favorite outdoor activities: Skiing, biking, and running
Highlights from the past year: Kate was busy this past year, working at a lobster restaurant in Maine, learning to backcountry ski, and hiking three different Colorado 14ers.
Where you can find Kate when she is finding the best line on a mountain: She is likely learning to play piano, cooking yummy vegetarian food, or playing Bananagrams with her friends (and probably winning).
Further proof of Kate’s awesomeness: Kate ran a marathon this spring with her sister (and fellow Apogee leader), Benna! And that is not where the Apogee connection stops; Kate was an Apogee student for four summers! While at school in Colorado Springs, she has been volunteering at a local middle school to plan after school activities ranging from ceramics to rock climbing. Kate also works at the Colorado College library’s front desk. Back at home in New York, Kate was a board member of a non-profit organization that helps distribute clothes, food, and other necessary items to unhoused populations in New York City, and she was also the assistant coach of the Rye Field Hockey Academy. Kate is beyond excited to be back at Apogee as a leader and can’t wait for a summer of adventure in Vermont and Maine!
Name: Nico Schactman (he/him) 
2025 Trips: Vermont to Montreal and Maine Coast Junior
Hometown: St. Louis, Missouri
School: Tufts University, Class of 2027
Certifications: Wilderness First Aid, Wilderness Swim Safety & CPR
Favorite outdoor activities: Running, backpacking, and playing football
Highlights from the past year: Nico spent most of the past year training for the Boston Marathon which he ran to raise money and awareness for a foundation.
Where you can find Nico when he is not running 26.2 miles: He is likely working on a puzzle, watching a new movie, or listening to music.
Super fun facts about Nico that will make you smile: Nico spent a summer teaching at a nonprofit enrichment program for middle schoolers, where he led hands-on group activities regarding humanities topics. He is also a coding wiz, working with several different groups in his hometown to build online gaming and software projects. Nico is also a three-time Apogee alumnus; he hiked in Maine, zip-lined in Costa Rica, and biked over 2,700 miles across the US from South Carolina to San Diego. And to top it all off, Nico knows the first 100 digits of pi, because in his words, “Why not?” The three summers that he spent as an Apogee student were truly transformative and he cannot wait to be back in the community as a Leader!
Name: Maura Toole (she/her) 
2025 Trips: Vermont to Montreal Support Leader, Maine Coast Junior, and New England Field Leader
Prior Apogee experience: Colorado’s Rocky Mountains ‘24, Vermont to Montreal ‘23, and Cape Cod & the Islands ‘23
Hometown: Greensboro, North Carolina
School: Emory University, Class of 2025
Certifications: Wilderness First Aid, Wilderness Swim Safety & CPR
Favorite outdoor activities: Backpacking, kayaking, and running
Highlights of the past year: Maura led some awesome Apogee trips in Colorado, backpacked through Central and Eastern Europe, and learned how to play the fiddle.
Where you can find Maura when she’s not exploring: She’s probably cooking and sharing food with friends, reading in her hammock, going to concerts, planning her next outdoor adventures, or spending hours and hours working on the New York Times crossword puzzle.
A few more reasons why Maura rocks: She has visited all of the farmer’s markets in Atlanta! Currently, she works for the Emory Center for Civic and Community Engagement where her job is to help high school and college students in Atlanta become informed and excited voters. For the past year, Maura worked for The Carter Center’s neglected tropical disease programs. She is also the Service Vice President of her Service Fraternity, where she coordinates community engagement opportunities with local Atlanta nonprofits. Lastly, Maura is both a tour guide and an orientation leader with Emory Ignite, helping first-year students successfully transition into college.
Name: Matilda Hallowell (she/her) 
2025 Trips: Maine’s Downeast Explorer and New England Mountains & Coast
Hometown: Berkeley, California
School: University of California Davis, Class of 2025
Certifications: Wilderness First Responder, Wilderness Swim Safety & CPR
Favorite outdoor activities: Running, backpacking, and skiing
Highlights from the past year: Matilda adventured far and wide this past year, hiking and camping in Hawaii’s Kalalau Valley on Kaui and horse-packing in Washington’s Pasayten Wilderness!
Where you can find Matilda when she’s not on a horseback ride: She is likely reading, cooking elaborate meals with friends, or playing the guitar!
Other reasons we think Matilda’s is the bee’s knees: During her gap year before college, Matilda lived in Saledita, Mexico for three months. Putting that Spanish speaking to good use, Matilda spent the last year working at a Spanish immersion elementary school! She is also the president of the Berkeley chapter of the Best Buddies Organization, which connects college students to young people with developmental disabilities. Oh, and did we mention that Matilda is a fire fighter?! She works at the UC Davis fire station as a senior resident. Outside of school, Matilda grew up working at her dad’s restaurant, and has served several famous folks (ask her about it!). She is pumped to be joining the Apogee team, hitting the Appalachian Trail with students, and testing out new camping recipes.
Name: Cole Edlin (he/him) 
2025 Trips: Maine’s Downeast Explorer and New England Mountains & Coast
Hometown: Oakland, California
School: Carleton College, Class of 2027
Certifications: Wilderness First Aid, Wilderness Swim Safety & CPR
Favorite outdoor activities: Ultimate frisbee, backpacking, climbing, kayaking, snowboarding, and surfing
Highlights from the past year: Cole was a jetsetter last year, studying abroad in Madrid, traveling through central Europe to explore the Christmas markets, and backpacking with his dad in Desolation Wilderness.
Where you can find Cole when he’s not at a cafe in Spain: Probably analyzing baseball data, including building and tuning projection models. He also loves traveling and exploring new places.
Facts that will make you say, “Wow Cole is awesome”: Cole spent three months backpacking, climbing, and kayaking in the Patagonia wilderness through the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). He has also spent a total of eight months studying aboard in Spain, splitting his time there between Granada and Mardid. He spent last summer working with kids in the outdoors, teaching them everything from mountain biking to paddle boarding! Cole is stoked to be working at Apogee this summer. He cannot wait to explore a new part of the country and meet all of his amazing students!
Name: Lily Hatrick 
2025 Trips: Maine’s Downeast Explorer and New England Mountains & Coast
Hometown: Brunswick, Maine
School: Macalester College, Class of 2026
Certifications: Wilderness First Aid, Wilderness Swim Safety & CPR
Favorite outdoor activities: Running, biking, hiking, swimming, ice skating, cross-country skiing, and general adventuring!
Highlights from the past year: Lily has had a busy year. From geomorphological research in Glacier National Park, to studying abroad in Stockholm, to going on lots of runs with her teams in Minnesota and Maine!
Where you can find Lily when she’s not on a run: She is probably volunteering with her local land trust, gardening, going for walks (with her real AND host families!), hanging out with her sister, reading, lounging in a hammock, or listening to music.
More reasons to love Lily: Lily is a life-long lacrosse player and has also coached, primarily working with 3rd and 4th grade girls teams! She also recently hiked through Glacier National Park while carrying a 60-pound inflatable kayak on her back. Lily is a lifelong resident of Maine, growing up in her (and Apogee’s) home town of Brunswick! She proudly runs in shorts year-round, which is quite an impressive feat being from Maine and living in Minnesota. Lily cannot wait to join in on the Apogee fun this summer. She is especially excited to show all of her fabulous students all of the beauty that Maine has to offer, eating yummy food, and admiring some pretty gorgeous views along the way.