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To Infinity and Beyond: Where The Interns Are Going Next!




After a fun and busy year spent learning and growing as interns at Sierra Outdoor School, our time on Big Hill is coming to a close. We are so thankful for all we have seen and experienced during the past ten months, and we will miss the great staff, students, programs, and facilities of SOS.  However, we are excited to bring our new skills and all we have learned to other communities and programs! Here’s where we are headed next…


Following her passions for the ocean and adventure programming, this summer Alli will be returning to her adopted home state of Washington to work on the San Juan Islands. As a returning staff member at YMCA Camp Orkila, she will be facilitating leadership development curriculum and weeklong sea kayaking expeditions with 15- 17 year olds.  After what is sure to be a salty summer of whale and bald eagle watching, Alli will continue working as a Naturalist at the YMCA East Bay Outdoor School at Camp Arroyo in Livermore, CA.  She can’t wait to continue teaching and is looking forward to more days spent facilitating high ropes courses,  leading garden and stream classes, and exploring the beautiful hills of the bay area and beyond!




Alicia is heading back to the coast and the redwoods to continue following her passion for getting kids outside and excited about the natural world. This summer, she will return to her favorite city of Santa Cruz as Assistant Director for Life Lab’s garden summer camp program. In September, she will begin working as a Naturalist at Exploring New Horizons at Loma Mar, a residential outdoor school nestled in the redwood forest of the Pescadero creek watershed. Alicia is excited to challenge herself and learn from these new positions, while applying the skills she has gained this past year at SOS. She is looking forward to new adventures and awesome communities this coming year.  



Britta is headed back to Seattle where she will be starting a Master’s In Teaching Math and Science graduate school program at Seattle Pacific University this coming summer, with hopes of teaching high school Biology and Environmental Science in the future. The past 1.5 years spent working in outdoor education have increased her passion for high-quality, hands-on science education and have taught her many valuable teaching skills and techniques, which she is excited to incorporate into classroom teaching. She is sad to leave SOS and the California sunshine, but is excited to return to the beauty of the Pacific Northwest and to continue learning and growing as an educator.



Deanna will be spending the summer camping and canoeing through some of Wisconsin’s beautiful lakes and rivers.  Starting in August she will be able to apply much of her new found knowledge from Sierra Outdoor School when she makes the move to the much wetter state of Washington to continue as an outdoor educator.  D will be teaching science classes focusing on ecology, marine life, birds, reptiles, and conservation.  She will also be leading adventure courses such as canoeing, climbing, and orienteering.  While she’s in Washington she will be making Britta (the Washingtonian) come hang out with her on the Puget Sound so they can reminisce about the great times shared at SOS!







Jocelyn is looking forward to another great adventure spending her summer working as an Environmental Educator for the Audubon Society of Portland. The position involves leading backpacking, kayaking, and archery adventures; as well as teaching about the forest, wildlife, and conservation. She will then begin working as a Naturalist at Exploring New Horizons in Sempervirens! Jocelyn is excited to further explore the Pacific Northwest, the ocean, and the redwood forest with children witnessing the wonders of the natural world and helping to create stewards of the environment. Jocelyn is appreciative of the Stanislaus forest and all she learned with her enlightening position at SOS, but is excited to take on these new positions, learn more, and see what exhilarating opportunities the future has in store.



Sarah will be taking the summer to finish her NC Environmental Education Certification, road trip around the Midwest, and eventually meander back to CA to continue pursuing her passion for connecting children to nature. Following her yearning for the ocean and love of music, she will be working at San Mateo Outdoor Education as a naturalist for the 2015-2016 school year. She is very excited to apply her teaching skills in a new context and continue to grow as an educator and naturalist. She is also stoked to adventure with Jocelyn, Alli, and Alicia in the Bay Area and visit SOS regularly!




Tommy will be living up his summer on Cape Cod, Massachusetts where he will spend his days fishing, kayaking and free diving. While nothing is written in stone, he will potentially be earning his scuba certification while also working at a youth center. Further, due to his family and friend ties, you may see the man traveling throughout the east coast, particularly to Boston and New York City. Afterwards he will hopefully be back on the west coast, working for a marine based outdoor school.  A mystery man since day one, he continues to inhabit the cobwebbed shadows of the future; however, one thing is certain: he will be eating a lot of fish while celebrating his Irish heritage.

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