Madeline grew up on her family’s farm in rural Pennsylvania and earned her degree in environmental studies from the University of Vermont. She first came to HMI as an intern in 2017 and has since had the pleasure of working for the semester, summer term, and gap year program. In her free time she loves […]
Sydney first joined the HMI family as a student of Semester 32. After returning as an apprentice in 2020, she decided she would never get enough of the HMI magic and has been leading with Gap since the spring of 2021. Her favorite part of the HMI experience is creating strong communities built on love,
Steph spent her childhood moving between seven US states and after completing her undergrad in Colorado moved to England where she taught a range of physical education, geography, Spanish and outdoor education for 9 years. She then moved to Malaysia for 3 years, continuing to educate young people and became more involved in the outdoors.
Luke spent his childhood exploring the modest but beautiful landscapes of Connecticut until his family moved to Portland, OR while he was in high school. Luke moved back to New England to study environmental anthropology at Middlebury College, and he spent many days enjoying the nearby Adirondacks and Green Mountains. He first joined HMI in
Yanitsa is from the vibrant city of Houston, TX, deep in the heart of the South. She graduated from Texas A&M University (whoop!), where she majored in Political Science & U.S. Government, with a focus on the critical issue of Latine Immigration, specifically asylum-seeking minors. Post-graduation, Yanitsa embarked on a transformative path with Teach for
Macy Cunningham grew up in Seattle, Washington, but thinks of herself as an honorary Midwesterner. She studied Outdoor Education and Gender & Women’s Studies at Northland College and has led many trips, including 7 weeks in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, with Camp Widjiwagan and more recently for her alma mater. Macy loves climbing, paddling
Walter originally hails from Indiana, but is now based out of Truckee, California. Growing up, Walter spent a lot of his summers canoeing in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in northern Minnesota where he fell in love with backcountry trips, mosquitos, and campfires. After attending college in southern Tennessee and graduating with a BA in
Ruby graduated from the University of New Mexico in 2019 with a degree in history and religion and has been working fulltime in outdoor education since then. Her varied professional experience includes leading trips for United World College, Eagle Rock School, Albuquerque Academy, and Camp Kawanhee, among several other organizations. She enjoys reading, playing with
Laurel is thrilled to bring her passion for education and outdoor adventure to her first season at HMI! Laurel grew up in California and has pursued work that combines both of these interests, instructing various youth programs across the state and guiding backpacking and rock climbing in the Sierra Nevada. While attending Pitzer College, she
