Interviews with Adventure Treks Instructors

We’re back with another staff spotlight! We’re highlighting two more incredible instructors who are deeply loved by our students. As always, these posts give you a sneak peek into the lives of the instructors who tirelessly dedicate themselves to creating unforgettable experiences for our students.

Today, we’re excited to introduce you to Hailey and Kendall!

We receive hundreds of resumes from hopeful outdoor educators every year, starting as early as September. Because we have such a high return rate for staff, the selection process for new staff is quite competitive.

And selective we are. Facilitating meaningful experiences for students on 10- to 30-day trips is an incredible rewarding and challenging job. Imagine waking up at 1:30 am to get everyone ready to summit Mount St. Helens, making sure everyone is packed, geared up, and, yes, has pooped before climbing 4,500 vertical feet at sunrise, all while making sure they’re having the time of their lives. And that’s just one day on the trip. Consider it a teaser!

Hailey Collins

Instructor since 2023
From Chicago, IL
Read Hailey’s full bio here

Hailey, what’s one thing that brings you joy as an outdoor educator?

Being in a community that is fully present and engaged with one another. It is amazing to see how fast a group can bond when phones aren’t present, and we are constantly leaning on each other for support. It can be hard in the “real world” when everyone is glued to their devices, living in a false reality or being obsessed with capturing the moment instead of living in it. Being an outdoor educator has taught me to appreciate all the small moments. All humans crave that sense of belonging—which I have been lucky enough to find with all my groups at AT. It is so rewarding to be able to create that for students (and they are a huge part of creating it)! I love simply spending time outside with great people learning and growing together (and sharing many giggles along the way!)

What’s one of your favorite memories from last summer?

For one of our students’ birthdays, we created a scavenger hunt where each clue led to a different student. After cleaning up dinner, each student hid somewhere around our campground, and I handed the first clue to the student whose birthday it was (who was very confused what was going on). When she found the next student, they handed her the next clue and a homemade birthday card. Then they met me on the little hill where we had great views of the mountains surrounding Bend, OR. The final clue led her to us up there, where we were waiting with candles, cookies, and a happy birthday song. I will never forget all the smiles, laughs, and the warm homey feeling while all watching the sunset together afterward.

When you’re not adventuring with AT, what keeps you busy?

Besides other jobs, I absolutely love my hobbies! Currently, I am working on knitting a tank top (I have not attempted a full sweater yet, but one day). Others include playing the guitar poorly, dancing around my room, learning Spanish, drawing, and more.

Got any pro tips for new instructors looking to crush their first summer?

Try to be fluid—don’t expect everything to happen the way things are planned because they won’t! Your hike might get canceled due to a thunderstorm, you might have to sit out of a kayak because a student is injured, or you may end up sitting in two hours of traffic. Learn to dance in the rain, eating way too much ice cream with that one student, or singing at the top of your lungs to some oldies in the car to kill sometime. The best memories can come out of things that originally make you frustrated. Don’t let the frustration win and instead try to make unfortunate situations fortunate!

What’s one tip for students to come fully prepared for the summer season?

Be open-minded to trying new things. Of course, this includes all the crazy fun activities you will do, like rock climbing, mountain biking, backpacking, and more (I hated hiking growing up, but now I have backpacked over 4,000 miles and continue to love it)—but it extends further than this:

Try new foods (or new food combinations—I am sure your instructors will come up with some strange ones). I for one surprisingly loved spaghetti tacos.
Be open to meeting and being friends with different types of people. Some of the people I met my first year at AT continue to be some of my best friends.
Be open to discovering another side of yourself that maybe you didn’t know you had. AT has helped cultivate a much sillier side of me that I love.

Overall, do not put yourself or anyone else in a box. Allow people to change and embrace it!

What’s your next big adventure?

I am just starting a volunteer position in Xela, Guatemala with Quetzaltrekkers! They are an amazing nonprofit that helps fund Escuela de laCalla (EDALAC), providing quality education, safe housing, and social support for children in Xela. I will be guiding one- to five-day treks up volcanoes and through the Guatemalan highland, all while eating more even more tortillas then we do at AT!

Tell us some fun facts about you—what would surprise us?

I have a 20-year-old cat named Tiger who still loves to snuggle.
My favorite snack is banana and hummus toast with some honey.
I have visited the top four deepest lakes in America.
Collectively, I have spent more than 400 nights sleeping in a tent.
I always ask for the kids’ coloring page at restaurants.

Kendall Sullivan

Instructor since 2024; also a four-year AT student
From Massachusetts
Read Kendall’s full bio here

Kendall, what brings you joy as an outdoor educator?

I love being a good role model for students and getting them psyched about nature. When I was 14, I attended the Pacific Northwest Explorer trip with Adventure Treks, and it totally rocked my world. Being a teenager is hard, and getting thrown into an adventure trip fully outdoors with total strangers was one of the scariest things I had ever done. But the instructors on that trip made me feel so welcome, and I was able to really come out of my shell and become more confident.

Now, years later, I am studying outdoor education and environmental science, and I credit where I am now to the newfound confidence and love of nature I found with Adventure Treks. It feels so good to get to be the person now who helps build that confidence and love of nature in students. I love watching them come out of their shells and be wacky, and I feel especially proud when one of my students is able to identify a few birds by the end of the trip.

How about one of your favorite memories from last summer?

On my California backpacking trip in the Shasta Trinity Alps! The Trinity Alps served as a gorgeous background for a wacky and chaotic trip. Everyone was given “egg babies” to keep safe to earn extra shower time, all while playing an insane game of trail assassin. I was “killed” early by sword-fighting my co-instructor with trekking poles and later witnessed the brutal “assassinations” of other students. One student had to hold a block of cheese above his head, another had to imitate me. The highlight was when one student got two in a row by getting a friend to pretend to be a squirrel and another to hold a pinecone for 10 minutes straight.

What have you been up to since working with AT?

Currently, I am studying abroad in Costa Rica. It’s been quite the journey, and every weekend when I am not in my environmental science classes, I am exploring all different parts of the country. Costa Rica has beaches, mountains, jungles, volcanoes, hot springs, and a unique alpine zone. I’ve seen a lot of it in the months I’ve spent here. During the week, I’m taking classes, exploring the city, and practicing my Spanish.

What pro tips do you have for new instructors for summer 2026?

For anyone looking to be an instructor one day, I would say you have to love nature, and more important, lose your fear of being wacky in public. Being comfortable in the outdoors goes a long way, especially because it can be a demanding job at times. Being able to find comfort and relaxation in your environment can be a total game-changer.

Also, wackiness is a huuuuuge part of the job. Teens’ lives these days can be too serious, and Adventure Treks is their chance to be silly and be kids. It will be way more fun for you and all the students if you let yourself tap into your inner wacko and show them they can do the same.

And my final thought is, if you’re thinking of applying, just do it! An Adventure Treks summer is one to remember for both instructors and students.

And some advice for new students?

Break in your hiking boots! That is very important, but I will also say it is really important to think about your goals for the trip. When I was a student, I would go into it with the mindset of, “I am going to be the person I want to be for the next 3 weeks.” I found that using AT as a time to free myself from any pigeon-holing I was experiencing and really being my best self made the trips so much more fun and rewarding. Too often, we find ourselves stuck being seen a certain way, and Adventure Treks is a great time to be free of that. So, get excited and get ready to be your best self!

And what’s your next big adventure?

Graduating! I am in my final year of my undergrad and will be graduating with a double major in the spring. I am so excited to have more time to travel and to work really meaningful jobs. After the summer, I am looking to get a job hopefully in renewable energy or environmental education. It’s still a good ways away, but I am psyched to put all this learning to good use!

Lastly, tell us some fun facts about you!

I love spiders! While I have been in Costa Rica, I have seen some of the craziest spiders, but my favorites are crab spiders and giant orb weavers (although if you know me you know this about me for sure!).

I also make stained glass in my free time. I make a lot of sun-catchers, and I sell stained glass earrings at my university’s art festival every spring. Hopefully, I will get to spend a lot of time this winter skiing and perfecting my craft.

Get to know the whole Adventure Treks team:

READ OUR STAFF BIOS!