Our Leaders

The difference between a good summer program and an exceptional summer program is the quality of its leaders. One of the main ingredients to the “secret sauce” of what sets Apogee apart from other organizations is our incredible leaders. We hire people who are not only committed to the success of our students, but are also responsible, compassionate, and just plain fun. Simply put, our leaders love working with kids and they love the outdoors. Students look up to our leaders as role models and overwhelmingly rate them with the highest marks on end-of-trip surveys. Here are a few more details and important information about Apogee’s selective hiring processes, our extensive leader training program, and our leaders’ qualifications and certifications.

• We look for individuals with outstanding leadership skills and wide-ranging experience working with young people in the outdoors.
• We hire leaders from all corners of the United States who come to us from a range of backgrounds including top colleges and universities and related industries (teachers, wilderness therapy instructors, coaches, etc.).
• Every applicant fills out a detailed application and is carefully interviewed by our directors. We conduct multiple rounds of interviews before hiring our leaders and are able to be highly selective – we hire approximately one out of every ten applicants.
• We check references thoroughly and perform a full background check (SORI, CORI, and when applicable, driving record) on every staff member.
• Our leaders are a minimum of 20 years old, and most are between 21 and 26.
• Leader training takes place over the course of an intensive, two week-long program at Apogee’s headquarters in Brunswick, Maine. We work with our leaders both in the classroom and in the field to cover everything from safety and group dynamics to trip logistics and outdoor skills. Leaders also spend time reviewing student files before the start of the program so they are familiar with each individual in their group. By the end of their training, leaders are well prepared to safely and effectively lead their group on the adventure of a lifetime.
• All of our leaders are certified in Wilderness First Aid and CPR. Many also hold higher wilderness certifications, such as Wilderness First Responder or EMT. Additionally, all of our trips that engage in swimming activities will have at least one leader certified as a Wilderness Lifeguard.
• Apogee enjoys a very high leader return rate. Many veteran leaders return for multiple summers.

Read more below to meet a few of our outstanding Trip Leaders.