Rachael Pace
Course Director & Instructor
Rachael Pace grew up in the high desert of Prescott, Arizona, where she first discovered her love for the outdoors (and the desert environment in particular). Rachael grew up knowing about Outward Bound (OB) through friends and family, but it wasn’t something she considered for herself until trying to figure out her post-college direction. During high school, Rachael had some formative experiences being a participant and volunteer with a local youth empowerment non-profit in her hometown. She hadn’t fully realized it at the time, but that experience laid the foundation for her interest in working in a non-traditional educational setting.
Rachael was hired as an intern at the Voyageur Outward Bound School (VOBS) for the summer of 2016 and it was a turning point in her life. She was deeply impacted not only by seeing the influence on the students and families but also because of the positive shifts in her own life
and understanding of herself.
Rachael is continually inspired by the profound growth that occurs in students, and herself, during each course. She has worked year-round for Outward Bound since her internship, being lucky enough to experience most of the seasons and also spent a few seasons at the New York City Outward Bound School (NYCOBS). In 2018, she decided to work full-time for VOBS, and now divides her time between the summer season in Ely, MN and the fall, winter and spring seasons at the VOBS base in Redford, Texas. Working with and seeing students grow into more confident, compassionate, and resilient versions of themselves is a huge part of why she returns to VOBS, year after year.
Rachael’s favorite outdoor activity is paddling and has spent the last few years developing her whitewater paddling skills. Also, as much as she loves to explore, you are just as likely to find Rachael curled up with her nose in a book. Her other hobbies include a major love for photography, working to develop her drawing skills, and owning instruments she never consistently plays.