This next group of amazing leaders will be covering ground both on the east coast and out west this summer on our New England Mountains & Coast, Maine Coast Junior, Northwest Mountains & Coast, and Colorado’s Rocky Mountains trips!
Name: Aya Lewis (she/her)
2025 Trips: Northwest Mountains & Coast & New England Mountains & Coast
Prior Apogee experience: New England Mountains & Coast ‘24 and Maine Coast Junior ‘24
Hometown: Waimanalo, Hawaii
School: Colorado College, Class of 2026
Certifications: Wilderness First Responder, Wilderness Swim Safety & CPR
Favorite outdoor activities: Camping, backpacking (especially to lakes), surfing, skiing, and laying in the sun
Highlights of the past year: In the past year, Aya traveled far and wide! She roadtripped from Colorado to Maine and back, studied abroad in Florence, Italy, and visited Wyoming over spring break (where she spotted a grand total of 9 moose and over 100 elk)!
Where you can find Aya when she’s not traveling or adventuring outside: She loves to Facetime her friends and family while going for long walks, dancing in her school’s student run dance show, reading, and journaling.
Other reasons why Aya is the bee’s knees: She was born in Japan and grew up attending a bilingual school in Asia, so she speaks Chinese! During the pandemic, she utilized her Chinese fluency to virtually tutor Chinese students in English. When Aya was in high school in Hawaii, she led and coordinated volunteer events to support her hometown’s local marshland ecosystem flora and fauna. Aya also served as chair of a local youth Fun Run in Honolulu, where she did everything from fundraising to volunteer coordinating. She is beyond excited to be reunited with Karlee and Jacob for another awesome summer and to explore Washington and New England!
Name: Karlee Taylor (she/her) 
2025 Trips: Northwest Mountains & Coast and New England Mountains & Coast
Prior Apogee experience: New England Mountains & Coast ‘24 and Maine Coast Junior ‘24
Hometown: Seattle, Washington
School: Macalester College, Class of 2023
Certifications: Wilderness First Aid, Wilderness Swim Safety & CPR
Favorite outdoor activities: Backpacking, running, and swimming in the lakes near her house
Highlights of the past year: Karlee had quite the year! She backpacked on the Balkans trail through Albania, Montenegro, and Kosovo and visited her friend’s hometown of Kathmandu, where they hiked Mardi Himal trek in Nepal!
Where you can find Karlee when she’s not logging miles on the trails: Likely on a dance floor; she loves all sorts of dance, and her current favorites are swing, salsa, and line dancing.
A few more reasons why Karlee is awesome: She has lots of experience working with students of all ages! This past year, she worked at a nature preschool, taking lots of little hikers out into the woods for adventure! Prior to Apogee, Karlee coached gymnastics in high school, worked as a Teaching Assistant for other students in the Geology department at Macalester, and taught preschool part-time. Karlee is also fluent in Spanish, was a competitive gymnast for 10 years growing up, and went on a spontaneous backpacking trip through Patagonia a few years ago! She cannot wait for another Apogee summer with her co-leaders from last year, Aya and Jacob.
Name: Jacob Teer (he/him) 
2025 Trips: Northwest Mountains & Coast & New England Mountains & Coast
Prior Apogee experience: New England Mountains & Coast ‘24 and Maine Coast Junior ‘24
Hometown: Williamsburg, Virginia
School: Washington & Lee University, Class of 2025
Certifications: Wilderness First Aid, Wilderness Swim Safety & CPR
Favorite outdoor activities: Canoeing, kayaking, climbing, backpacking, and mountain biking
Highlights of the past year: Jacob took full advantage of the many great Parks in the US this past year, visiting Glacier National Park, Indiana Sand Dunes National Park, the Badlands, the Black Hills, Devil’s Tower, Yellowstone, and the Grand Tetons! He was also able to spend a week sea kayaking in Everglades National Park with his school’s outing club!
Where you can find Jacob when he’s not exploring outside: Jacob loves all kinds of music, and tries to go to every concert that he can. He is currently learning how to play guitar, and when he is not jamming out, he can be found reading a good book!
Some other fun facts about Jacob: Jacob just recently retired from being a collegiate swimmer after 14 years of the sport. He has taught swim lessons for several years, and before Apogee, he spent several summers coaching a summer-league swim team with kids of all ages. A Recreation Assistant of the Washington & Lee Outing Club, Jacob works at the rock wall helping teach climbing, belaying, and maintaining the equipment. He was selected to participate in a competitive internship for the Nature Conservancy in Yellowstone, where he helped advance their community-based conservation goals. Jacob cannot wait to meet all of his students and reunite with his co-leaders (and good friends) from last summer, Aya and Karlee.
Name: Kate Haddon (she/her) 
2025 Trips: Colorado’s Rocky Mountains and Maine Coast Junior
Hometown: Portland, Oregon
School: Pitzer College, Class of 2027
Certifications: Wilderness First Responder, Wilderness Swim Safety & CPR
Favorite outdoor activities: Trail running, mountain biking, skiing, hiking, and swimming
Highlights of the past year: Kate explored up and down the west coast this summer, visiting National Parks and enjoying the varying geography in Southern California while at school, running 20 miles for her 20th birthday, and summiting Broken Top and South Sister in Oregon with my friends.
Where you can find Kate when she’s not out adventuring: She loves reading outside, listening to music, playing Banangrams, hanging out with friends, playing pickleball, and learning how to surf.
Super fun facts about Kate that will make you smile: Kate grew up going to a Spanish immersion school starting in kindergarten until she graduated high school and speaks fluent Spanish. She also volunteers every week at The Prison Library Project to help send books and educational materials to incarcerated individuals across America. And that’s not all; Kate qualified for and competed in an Xterra off-road triathlon in Trentino, Italy! Che figo! Kate cannot wait to head out on her first summer at Apogee and is really excited to learn new skills and grow alongside her students this summer.
Name: Ethan Richardson (he/him) 
2025 Trip: Colorado’s Rocky Mountains
Hometown: Virginia Beach, Virginia
School: Virginia Tech, Class of 2025
Certifications: Emergency Medical Technician, Outdoor Emergency Care & Wilderness Swim Safety
Favorite outdoor activities: Rock climbing, surfing, snowboarding, and trail running
Highlights of the past year: Ethan was busy adventuring this past year, cross-country skiing in the Swiss Alps, scuba diving in Cozumel, and running on the beach with his dog.
Where you can find Ethan when not on a run with his four-legged friend: He is probably volunteering with his local search and rescue squad, playing guitar, or doing yoga.
Facts that will make you say “Wow Ethan is awesome”: Aside from his work as a volunteer EMT, Ethan has also worked as a ski patroller and a lifeguard! When he is not working as a real life super hero, Ethan can be found teaching soccer to 4-6 year-olds. Ethan has played the base trombone since he was 14, and he loves working with automotives – he even interned in Imported Car Servicing. Pretty cool if you ask us! Ethan is super stoked to be joining the Apogee community this summer and cannot wait to enjoy lots of time outside with new friends!
Name: Molly Grand (she/her) 
2025 Trips: Colorado’s Rocky Mountains and Maine Coast Junior
Hometown: Westchester, New York
School: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Class of 2025
Certifications: Wilderness First Aid, Wilderness Swim Safety & CPR
Favorite outdoor activities: Backpacking, climbing, running, and slip-and-sliding
Highlights of the past year: Molly wasted no time last year, exploring local outdoor climbing and backpacking spots in North Carolina during her last year at UNC, getting her open water scuba certification in New Zealand, diving in the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, and going on a road trip over winter break to Stowe, VT to ski.
Where you can find Molly when she is not exploring an underwater ecosystem: She is likely grabbing coffee with friends, playing beach volleyball, doing yoga, or making bagels.
Other reasons Molly is the niftiest: Molly recently studied abroad in New Zealand and got to go on a seven day backpacking trip around Stewart Island, which has a permanent population of around 400 people! She has also worked at Telluride Ski Resort in Colorado and even got to spend two summers there leading youth on hiking and climbing trips in the local area. Molly worked as the head coach of Little Ramses, a climbing program at UNC where she taught basic climbing skills and facilitated an inclusive, supportive learning environment for kids. Molly is super excited to be joining Apogee this summer, spending loads of time outside, and building meaningful connections with students and staff!