I was not a student of HMI. However, just a few short weeks after graduating from college, I began work as an admissions associate here. My days are now spent telling high school sophomores what it might look like to spend a semester in the Rocky Mountains, or putting up posters that lead the next generation of gap students to take the leap and climb for 80 days in Patagonia.
I have countless friends who have been involved in various programs over time — Jane, who participated in Semester 44 and Summer 2019, Ellie, who did the Spring Trek gap semester in 2021, and Solange, the Semester 54 Spanish Apprentice, to name a few — and I have them to thank for helping me find this place. Every day, I learn and hear more about the impact the High Mountain Institute has on its students, and the level of community that is built here semester after semester, year after year. It’s conversations with current students, prospective students, and most importantly, alumni, that remind me why we do what we do — change students’ lives through experiential education and outdoor adventure — so I decided it was time to share some of those perspectives with you, courtesy of our amazing Alumni Admissions Ambassadors.
For others, like Eli (Semester 51), the biggest takeaways come from the field — the expeditions, the hikes, and the challenges that come along the way.
And some of the best alumni conversations — those that make me the most jealous of the experience our alumni, current students, and future students have — look much simpler, like this short and sweet tidbit from Bates (Semester 51).
What more could we ask for?!
Lindsey grew up in Atlanta, Georgia before attending Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. At Dartmouth, Lindsey studied psychology and education, and was the Director of Dartmouth’s First-Year Trips outdoor orientation program, spending lots of time exploring the White Mountains with friends! In her free time, you’ll find her hiking, reading, baking, playing cards, or contemplating getting a dog.