Trinity Alps Wilderness of northern California without seeing a phone or a road. Following a stint working in Queens after Hurricane Sandy, Dan spent four months hiking along the Rockies from Canada to Mexico on the Continental Divide Trail. More recently, he hiked the Arizona Trail from Mexico to Utah. During his long walks he learned a little about resilience, loneliness, compassion, gratitude, and the unforgiving wonder of the wilderness.

A random act of compassion by a stranger and former OB instructor led Dan to VOBS in 2014. Inspired by Kurt Hahn’s educational philosophy in action, Dan signed on year-round, spending summers in a canoe and winters on skis or a dogsled. He now believes that every student already holds the power to change their lives, and that the purpose of Outward Bound is simply to help them find it.

Her travels inspired a life-long love of learning, an appreciation for the growth that stems from getting totally out of your comfort zone, and a deep respect for all that can be gained from creating relationships with people who have a diverse range of life experiences and perspectives.

Emmy came back from her year in South and Central America knowing that she wanted to pursue a career that combined her love for teaching, adventure and the outdoors. When she stumbled upon Outward Bound’s website and read the mission statement: “Changing lives through challenge and discovery,” she knew she had landed in the right place. When she showed up to Voyageur Outward Bound School (VOBS) and was greeted by a dog yard full of 70 sled dogs, she felt certain she had found her home. Since then, Emmy has worked at all three bases (Ely, Minn., Redford, Texas, and St. Paul, Minn.), in all four seasons and in a variety of roles. She now lives in Ely year round and is constantly inspired by the work she does at VOBS and the growth she gets to witness in students, staff, and in herself, through the Outward Bound experience.

leading wilderness expeditions as an instructor for VOBS. It was there that he formed his educational philosophy, based in the values of compassion, service, mindfulness, leadership and diversity.

Having worked at VOBS since 2014, Adam has led expeditions in many different course areas, including the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and the Big Bend Region of Southwest Texas. Building his technical skills in whitewater paddling, rock climbing, and working with the Intercept Program has led Adam to step into the role of a Course Director, trainer and mentor within the VOBS community.

After graduating from Loyola, Conner took a short break from VOBS to work for two years in Sweden. While living abroad, Conner learned countless things about herself and the world, and was challenged tremendously by the work involved in adjusting to a new culture. Though thousands of miles away, Conner still felt connected to her work at Outward Bound and eventually felt the pull to return back stateside.

Since 2017, Conner has split her time between Minnesota and Colorado, spending her winters in Aspen teaching skiing and summers at VOBS. So far, her passion for flying down mountains on skis has not been enough to pull her away from summers in Ely, where the growth she sees in an Outward Bound student is unparalleled compared to any other program she has experienced. Conner feels passionately that the wilderness is the best classroom and has stayed with Outward Bound for eight years because as of now, she hasn’t found a better place to be.

After college, she started working at the Voyageur Outward Bound School in 2014. She never imagined she’d find her home in Northern Minnesota! She quickly discovered that the school’s mission and educational philosophy were something that she wanted to continue to help facilitate.

Over the last eight years, Reily has worked in a variety of roles at all three bases (Ely, MN, St. Paul, MN and Redford, TX). She loves the diversity of experiences she has had the privilege to be a part of. When Reily is not working, you can find her whitewater canoeing, traveling the country in her tear-drop trailer, or making and repairing gear on her sewing machine.

His experience at Wanapitei culminated in 2013 when he planned and led a two-month, self-supported expedition with a group of 12 students that took them hundreds of miles across Canada's most remote landscape, and ultimately concluded in the Arctic Ocean.

Morgan also finds joy in learning language and exploring other cultures. He speaks fluent Spanish and Mandarin, and has had the fortune to be able to live in South America and China for extended periods of his life.

Morgan began working at VOBS during the summer of 2016, after having spent the previous three years living, working and climbing in China. He has worked as an Instructor and Course Director in Minnesota and Texas, sharing his passion for education and technical expertise with a wide variety of students. 

The confidence and sense of purpose Gracie gained from her Pacific Crest Trail trek prompted her to wonder if this type of lifestyle — self-discovery and belonging through wilderness — was one she could build into a career. Thinking again of her Outward Bound course as a teenager, Gracie applied and became an intern with the Voyageur Outward Bound School (VOBS) in the summer of 2016.

Since that summer, Gracie has instructed Intercept courses, Classic courses, Pathfinder courses, and group programs at VOBS’ bases in Ely, MN and Redford, TX. Gracie is consistently amazed by the ways that connection and community can empower people to become more full, authentic versions of themselves. For Gracie, this necessarily means centering equity and restorative justice in the Outward Bound process. She regards it as the utmost privilege to journey alongside her students on their expeditions, exploring both the wilderness and themselves.

During this time, Arty developed a love and knack for Asian cooking and an adventurous spirit that led him to travel the world. He spent extensive time in India, Japan, Southeast Asia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. 

In 2018, Arty made the decision to move across the ocean and work for Voyageur Outward Bound School (VOBS). After some time away from expeditionary learning, he was drawn specifically to the opportunity for longer expeditions and the Intercept program. Arty loves working with students to help them transfer the skills they learn in the wilderness to their lives at home. The opportunity to support families during this time of upheaval and transition is one of his favorite parts of this job. The learning and growth that he has witnessed at VOBS is more profound than he’s seen anywhere else. Since 2018, Arty has committed his life to Outward Bound and works year-round at the bases in Ely, MN and Redford, TX. He loves his work and is committed to providing the best support he can to instructors, students and their families. 

outdoors trips fostered some of his most important learnings, memories and friendships. It was also through this program that he learned about Outward Bound (OB) and got the opportunity to work with OB staff who were serving as consultants to the program. Enamored with their tales of adventure in the Northwoods, Elliott almost pursued a career at Outward Bound immediately following college, but decided to take a few years to live in a big city and work as a product design consultant.

Unable to ignore his longing to work as an educator in a wilderness setting, Elliott eventually made the move to Northern Minnesota and has not left since. In the summer he is amazed by students ability to embrace the stillness and challenge of canoeing through the Boundary Waters, in the winter he is humbled by the patient teachings of the VOBS Sled Dogs and harshness of winter, and any time of year he is thrilled to bring students their own adventure with Outward Bound. 

one of the largest Mediterranean port cities on the trade route from Cyprus to Egypt. She found playing in the dirt and uncovering the mysteries of the past magical. After her stint as an archaeologist, the woods called her back. 

So far, Emily has spent six years, three of which as a course director, working year round for various Outward Bound locations. With Outward Bound she facilitates all types of expeditions, including backpacking, kayaking, canoeing, cross country skiing and rock climbing. Winters, however, are always spent at VOBS leading her favorite course, Boundary Waters Dog Sledding. After all her time at Outward Bound, the Boundary Waters and VOBS hold a special place in her world. Emily is continuously inspired by the resilience, determination, and compassion students demonstrate when pushed into their challenge zone. She is amazed by the strength of how far a group can go when they come together and work as a team.

In his senior year, Neal had the amazing opportunity to be a student on a VOBS dogsledding course. From that moment forward he was hooked on Outward Bound!

Since graduating from college in 2012, Neal has played a number of roles as an outdoor educator; working for undergraduate programs, nonprofits, and completing a master’s degree in Outdoor Education. He started working at VOBS as an intern in 2013, and since then has worked all seasons of the year as a field instructor, course director and sled-dog trainer. His biggest outdoor interests today are backcountry skiing, canoeing and exploring any new area he can find on a map. He acknowledges how his privilege has influenced his access to the outdoors, and through this work is committed to promoting equity, inclusion, and diversity in these outdoor spaces.

He has returned year after year to foster the values of compassion, integrity, and grit as a means to improve the lives of his students and allow them to improve their communities when they return home.

Over the past five years, Will has worked as an instructor, trainer, and course director during the summer months in Ely, on canoeing and backpacking courses. Will has also filled those same roles for VOBS at its Big Bend, TX base in the spring, winter and fall, working with students on backpacking and whitewater canoeing expeditions. He has instructed nearly all course types that VOBS has to offer, from multi-element canoeing and backpacking, to Intercept, to grieving teens programs. In addition to his technical skills in canoeing and backpacking, he is skilled and knowledgeable in rock climbing, something on which he spends a great deal of his free time.

Will enjoyed all of it.

After some confusion about what do with himself after college, Will started working for Voyageur Outward Bound School (VOBS) in 2010. Outward Bound’s culture of growth and feedback helped Will develop a love of sharing the outdoors with others, and teaching both through and for the wilderness.   Some of Will’s favorite Outward Bound experiences have mirrored the early one with his family - getting to a campsite late and needing to come together to meet basic needs. Almost no one is immune to the feeling of accomplishment that comes from that. Having worked with Outward Bound for over a decade, Will is eager to share his love of the outdoors and engage in personal growth with new staff and students.