Meet the next round of fantastic leaders that will be heading out on adventures near and far this summer! This amazing crew will be leading our Costa Rica Mountains & Coast, Caribbean Service: Puerto Rico, Caribbean Service: Virgin Islands, and Maine Coast College Essay trips!
Name: Peyton Whirley (she/her)
2026 Trip: Costa Rica Mountains & Coast and Caribbean Service: Puerto Rico
Hometown: Needham, Massachusetts
School: College of William & Mary
Certifications: Wilderness First Responder, Wilderness Swim Safety, and CPR
Favorite outdoor activities: Rock climbing and hiking
Highlights from the past year: Hiking the Camino de Santiago, backpacking in Shenandoah National Park, and climbing at both the New River Gorge and Red River Gorge.
Where you can find Peyton when she is not out in nature: Peyton is likely reading, trying out new baked-good recipes, or spending time with friends.
Further proof that Peyton is the coolest: Peyton is currently the president of William & Mary’s rock climbing club, and for the past few summers she has worked as a mountaineering trip leader at a summer camp in North Carolina. She is also a trip leader for her college outing club, and she loves to lead hiking and climbing trips for her peers, as well as for incoming first years as part of W&M’s pre-orientation programming. She is also an avid crossword puzzler! Peyton is an Apogee alum, having joined us for our Alps Explorer program as a student back in 2022, and she is looking forward to being back at Apogee this summer, this time as a leader. She is so excited to explore and have wonderful adventures with her students and co-leaders!
Name: Sarp Sahin (he/him)
2026 Trip: Costa Rica Mountains & Coast and Caribbean Service: Puerto Rico
Hometown: Plano, Texas
School: Washington & Lee University
Certifications: Wilderness First Aid, Wilderness Swim Safety, and CPR
Favorite outdoor activities: Backpacking, kayaking, swimming, and caving
Highlights from the past year: Sarp’s last year was full of adventure! He went on a backpacking and mountaineering expedition in Northern Kyrgyzstan, backpacked the W Trek in Patagonia, and led a college orientation trip in Shenandoah National Park.
What Sarp loves to do when he is not off on a backpacking trip: He is likely volunteering, playing the cello (he is part of his school’s orchestra), spending time with friends and family, or reading.
Other reasons why Sarp is the best: Sarp started and runs a volunteer organization at W&L that hosts medical pop‑up clinics in rural communities. He has also hiked the 161‑mile Camino de Santiago Portugués from Porto, Portugal, to Santiago de Compostela, Spain. He is a three‑time leader for W&L’s pre-orientation trip, Appalachian Adventure, after he attended that program as an incoming freshman and enjoyed it so much. He is also fluent in Turkish and conversational in Spanish. Beyond getting to use his Spanish this summer, Sarp is unbelievably excited for all the amazing people he will meet in the incredible places his trips will take him. He cannot wait to get started!
Name: Aaron Piszczek (he/him)
2026 Trip: Caribbean Service: Virgin Islands
Hometown: Glen Ellyn, Illinois
School: Georgia Institute of Technology
Certifications: Wilderness First Aid, Wilderness Swim Safety, and CPR
Favorite outdoor activities: Skiing, surfing, climbing, biking, hiking, and camping
Highlights from the past year: Aaron had a big year! He played in the MCLA Lacrosse national championship, took a road trip to nine national parks, graduated college, and spent the winter working on the mountain at Park City.
Where you can find Aaron when he is not on the slopes: He might be making homemade pasta, playing hockey, watching a sporting event with friends, traveling, or spending quality time with his family.
A few more reasons why Aaron rocks: He played four years of Division I lacrosse at Georgia Tech and made it to the national championship in both his freshman and senior years. He has extensive experience coaching lacrosse at various youth levels as well, and loves pushing his players to challenge themselves and to succeed. He is also a whiz with car mechanics and learned most of what he knows from working on his first-ever car, a 1984 Bronco. In college, Aaron worked for Delta Air Lines, where he helped run laning simulations and traveled around the world from the jump seat of a plane. Aaron cannot wait to work with Apogee this summer and meet all his amazing students. He is also very excited for all the meaningful volunteering opportunities his groups will take part in on St. Croix!
Name: Nina Klug (she/her)
2026 Trip: Caribbean Service: Virgin Islands
Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia
School: University of Georgia
Certifications: Wilderness First Aid, Wilderness Swim Safety, and CPR
Favorite outdoor activities: Hiking, running, snorkeling, and surfing
Highlights from the past year: Nina has been soaking up her last year of college! She attended every sporting event and concert she could, and her weekends were filled with hiking some of the best peaks in the Southeast.
Where you can find Nina when she’s not at a college sporting event: She is likely volunteering, exploring a good thrift store, trying out a new restaurant, listening to live music, or grabbing frozen yogurt.
Other reasons Nina is the niftiest: Nina spent last spring studying sustainable progress and natural resource conservation in Hawaii, New Zealand, Australia, and Fiji! Back on campus, she works with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and helped plan an Out of the Darkness Campus Walk. Nina has been going to summer camp since she was 12 and has worked at overnight camps for the past four summers. On top of all that, she grew up practicing Jiu-Jitsu and Taekwondo, and she holds black belts in both – she even competed in the Junior Olympics! Nina is thrilled to spend her summer with Apogee, and cannot wait to get started volunteering on all of the amazing projects her group will contribute towards in St. Croix!
Name: Jack O’Brien (he/him)
2026 Trip: Maine Coast College Essay
Hometown: Paynesville, Missouri
School: Hamilton College
Certifications: Wilderness First Aid, Wilderness Swim Safety, and CPR
Favorite outdoor activities: Hiking, biking, swimming, and just spending time outside!
Highlights from the past year: Jack hiked through the foothills of Ireland, backpacked around the Eastern Mediterranean, took a road trip up the eastern seaboard, and visited the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area in Kentucky.
Where you can find Jack when he is not traveling: He is likely curled up with a good book in a sunny spot, cooking something delicious, playing the piano, learning a new language, or taking photographs!
More reasons to love Jack: While at Hamilton, Jack worked as an orientation leader for groups of incoming freshmen making their transition to college. During his study abroad travels, Jack had the opportunity to be a guest educator at a Swiss middle school! And on top of all that, Jack has tried his hand at playing the bagpipe (he has yet to master that one, but life is long). Until then, he’ll rely on his oboe and piano skills for any musical jams. Jack is so excited to be joining Apogee this summer, and he’s looking forward to helping his students with their college process and exploring the beautiful state of Maine!
Name: Sophia Boyd (she/her)
2026 Trip: Maine Coast College Essay
Hometown: Beverly, Massachusetts
School: Colgate University
Certifications: Wilderness First Aid, Wilderness Swim Safety, and CPR
Favorite outdoor activities: Hiking, camping, and rafting
Highlights from the past year: Sophia loved studying abroad in Paris, hiking the Camino in Spain, and running the Chicago Marathon with her sister!
Where you can find Sophia when she is not on a run: She is likely knitting, doing yoga, baking something delicious, reading, drawing, or going for a nice long walk.
Facts that will make you say “Wow, Sophia is awesome”: During high school, Sophia worked as a camp counselor, babysitter, and writing tutor. Now, one of her primary extracurriculars at Colgate is working on the leadership team of the Writing and Speaking Center, where she advises fellow students on their written work, and also mentors new members of the WSC team. She is a French and Neuroscience double major, and she is fluent in French after completing two homestays in France — c’est génial! She started a run club at Colgate, where she currently serves as president, and she is also a National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) alum, having spent a month living off the grid in Alaska on a backpacking expedition. Sophia cannot wait for her Apogee summer and is excited to explore both the mountains and the coast of Maine with her students!