In her time outside of class, Madison planned and led many trips for the outdoor program and took on a role as the Assistant Director for Outdoor Orientation for first year students. After graduation, Madison worked at two different outdoor focused semester schools. This work drew both on her expeditionary skills as well as the connection and interpersonal skills that truly inspire Madison’s work in the wilderness.

Madison discovered Voyageur Outward Bound School (VOBS) through co-workers in North Carolina. Quickly into her first summer she decided that the community and work was a perfect fit. Madison has worked throughout various seasons and in multiple different roles with VOBS, including winter and summer course work in Ely, MN. Madison strives to be a compassionate person in her life at work and beyond, and thrives in the environment of consistent learning and growth that Outward Bound provides not only for their students, but also their staff. 

Outdoor Education and Natural Resources at Northland College in northern Wisconsin. Her experience there introduced her to many things, including the world of sea kayaking and a program called Outward Bound. Lynn is now a sea kayaker, white water paddler, canoeist, musher, hiker, and even a climber at times.

Lynn started working for Outward Bound in 2016, first for Thompson Island Outward Bound Education Center (TIOBEC) and now for Voyager Outward Bound School (VOBS). If Lynn is not instructing, course directing or training, you can find her playing in the woods (usually with a dog by her side) or working on some kind of sewing project.

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.

at Chesapeake Bay Outward Bound School for a year before returning to VOBS and committing to year round work in Ely, Minnesota and Redford, Texas. Yoshie's experiences with VOBS also inspired her to co-found Wheels for Mental Wellness, a cycling trip across America to raise awareness around mental health. In 2018, Yoshie and fellow Outward Bound instructor Catherine Dyer spent 54-days cycling from San Diego to St. Augustine, Florida. Along the way they conducted interviews and wrote blog posts about a myriad of mental health issues. This expedition challenged Yoshie to apply the skills she had learned at Outward Bound in a new context and further informed her love for expeditionary learning.

Outward Bound has opened a world of challenge, adventure, and discovery that Yoshie never knew existed as a teenager. Her time at Outward Bound has informed her values and given her invaluable tools to communicate with the people she cares about. She is honored to be a part of imparting those same experiences and tools to the students she works with and supporting them through challenge and adventure. She learns something new from each expedition and is excited to keep growing and challenging herself alongside her students.

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.

Foundation in mid-coast Maine, where he lead programs focused on leadership and environmental education. He later spent a semester working as an adjunct faculty member at Unity College for their adventure-based therapy and environmental education program. He started working at Voyageur Outward Bound school over five years ago, working year round rotating between leading summer trips in the Boundary Waters and canoeing and backpacking trips in the Big Bend region of Texas.

Kevin love's personal adventures and tries to fit in trips to new places in-between leading groups. He continues to discover new passions and challenges such as; packrafting, eye safety when making hot sauce, the joys of having a kindle on trail, and the many ways to get kite strings tangled. Kevin values many of the things you learn by spending time in the outdoors, such as; being creative, ecological systems, discovering perspective by listening, challenging yourself, having the time for self reflection, and flying kites from as many remote locations as the wind allows.

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.

With a desire to put himself once again out of his comfort zone he took the position as the VOBS Dog Yard Intern: responsible for taking care of the sled dogs at Homeplace, and he has never looked back.

Dan continued as an intern after his first summer as the Dog Yard Intern, and eventually became an Instructor. He spent three years instructing for Outward Bound in the summer and dogsled guiding in the winter- eventually committing to Outward Bound full time in 2019. Since then, he has been working between the Minnesota and Texas bases.

Dan loves working with students and helping guide them through the OB process. He enjoys seeing them confront adversity and challenge as they learn how to better respond to it, reflect on it and eventually take the learnings home. The classroom the wilderness creates for both students and staff alike, is a constant reminder that there is always more to learn. In addition to this, the rapid growth he sees in the students he works with and how it positively affects them, their families and their futures, is what keeps him coming back season after season.

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. 

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.