Last (but certainly not least) are the wonderful folks that will be helping out in our office right here in Brunswick! Read on to learn about the folks who will be helping to make the Apogee magic happen all summer long!
Name: Alexis Barrett (she/her)
2026 Position: Summer Assistant Director: Operations Specialist
Prior Apogee experience: Costa Rica Mountains & Coast ‘24
Hometown: Madison, Wisconsin
School: Denison University (undergraduate) and University of Idaho (graduate school)
Certifications: Wilderness First Responder and CPR
Favorite outdoor activities: Rollerblading, canoeing, camping, and being in any body of water
Highlights from the past year: Learning how to whitewater kayak, taking a national park road trip through the western United States, and singing at her host brother’s wedding in Ecuador!
Where you can find Alexis when she isn’t paddling: She is likely taking a cold dip, stopping to pet a dog, jamming out with friends, planning her next adventure, doing embroidery, or reading.
More reasons to love Alexis: She recently shaved her head to donate her hair, so she’ll be rocking an awesome new haircut this summer! She has worked as an environmental educator for the last two-plus years, and during her recent graduate program in Idaho she lived in a yurt for nine and a half months — without plumbing! Talk about an adventure every day. Alexis led Apogee’s Costa Rica Mountains & Coast trip back in 2024, and she is so excited to be joining the team again in 2026, this time on the office side of things!
Name: Gwen Rider (she/her)
2026 Position: Summer Assistant Director: Operations Specialist
Hometown: Carmel Valley, California
School: Colorado College
Certifications: Wilderness First Responder and CPR
Favorite outdoor activities: Camping, running, and ocean swims
Highlights from the past year: Gwen spent the last year managing a small upcycling clothing brand at their branch in Portland, Maine, and recently completed her first marathon!
Where you can find Gwen when she is not out on a run: She is probably working on some sort of creative project, whether that’s knitting a sweater, taking her watercolor kit to the beach, or coming up with new recipes to cook for her friends and family.
Other reasons we think Gwen is the bee’s knees: Gwen graduated college with a degree in Design Studies, and for her thesis project, she wove, hand‑dyed, and sewed a dress all on her own (pretty awesome if you ask us). While in school, she also participated in a cardboard boat competition, where her team won the Titanic Award for the most spectacular (and speedy) sinking. She grew up with a whole menagerie of pets, including a miniature horse, miniature donkey, goat, and many chickens. On top of that, Gwen is an Apogee Adventures alum; she joined us as a student on Pyrenees Mountains & Coast back in 2019! She is so excited to work alongside the full‑time team during Apogee’s 25th year, and she can’t wait to give Apogee students the same unforgettable experience she had when she was a participant.
Name: Clementine Bannon (she/her)
2026 Position: Summer Assistant Director: Enrollment & Administrative Specialist
Hometown: Blue Hill, Maine
School: Bowdoin College
Certifications: Wilderness First Responder and CPR
Favorite outdoor activities: Backpacking, hiking, biking, swimming, and camping
Highlights from the past year: Clementine spent last spring studying abroad in Dunedin, New Zealand. While there, she spent every weekend exploring the South Island and trying out different treks!
Where you can find Clementine when she’s not trekking through New Zealand: She is probably reading a good book, going for a run, thrifting, exploring with friends, or spending time by the ocean.
A few more reasons why Clementine rocks: Clementine just graduated from Bowdoin College and was a trip leader for all four years! Last year, she went on an epic cross‑country road trip with two friends from Maine to California, stopping at many different national parks along the way. Clementine also grew up living off the grid for the first twelve years of her life. She has recently spent time leading trips similar to Apogee’s in the summer of 2024, and last summer she researched adolescent behavior and mental health at Boston University’s SUMMIT Lab. Clementine is so excited to be a part of the Apogee community this summer, to support our amazing staff and students in the field and to spend time in her home state of Maine!
Name: Simona Muscarella (she/her)
2026 Position: Social Media and Marketing Intern
Hometown: Buffalo, New York
School: Bates College
Favorite outdoor activities: Skiing, surfing, and hiking
Highlights from the past year: Simona had an exciting year, studying abroad in Lisbon and starting a sweatshirt business!
Where you can find Simona when she is not at a cafe in Lisbon: She is likely watching a good movie, reading a book, or cooking up something tasty!
Further proof of Simona’s awesomeness: While in Lisbon, she helped develop an international marketing plan for a start‑up toy company. Back at school, Simona is part of the Alpine Ski Team at Bates College. She also has experience coaching younger ski racers, including working alongside an Olympic ski racer. She loves listening to music (The Grateful Dead is her favorite!). She also spent six months living in Italy when she was in high school. Simona is so excited to be joining the Apogee Adventures team and to help show the world who we are here at Apogee and what our 25th season looks like!
Name: Isabella Synnestvedt (she/her)
2026 Position: Summer Assistant Director: Housing & Warehouse Specialist
Hometown: Carlisle, Massachusetts
School: Colby College
Certifications: Wilderness First Responder and CPR
Favorite outdoor activities: Nordic skiing, running, hiking, and biking (both road and mountain)!
Highlights from the past year: Isabella was a jetsetter this year. She studied abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina, visited El Chaltén in Patagonia, and traveled and conducted research in Italy.
Where you can find Isabella when she is not traveling the globe: She is likely reading, taking photos, spending time with friends, or cooking and/or baking something delicious!
Facts that will make you say “Wow, Isabella is awesome”: At school, Isabella is a trip leader for Colby’s outing club. She also mentored new English Language Learners at the high school near Colby, an experience that inspired her to pursue a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) certification in the future. For the last few summers, Isabella worked at a farm market in her hometown selling organic produce and dry goods. She also started the racing side of the Colby Nordic ski club! Isabella is looking forward to supporting so many amazing trips and hearing stories from each one when leaders return for their days off. She has also never spent a summer in Maine (despite attending a Maine college…) and is excited for the warmer weather and being near the ocean!