• M.S. Counseling Psychology, Alaska Pacific University
• B.A. Hamilton College
I love adventures. Whether they occur in the classroom, in the wilds of Alaska, or in my family, I strive to continually push and challenge my world and how I live in it. From the beginning of my academic career, I have tried to combine academics, athletics, and adventure. For example, I lived and studied in Hong Kong for a year and received my undergraduate degree in Chinese. After college, I traveled by bicycle for 13 months in Asia and during one of those months, I had my appendix out in Thailand! Adventure and adversity seem to coincide in my life: I received 13 stitches in Australia before participating in an Eco- Challenge; broke my ankle in Mexico while rock climbing; rode my bike straight into a bus in Hong Kong; and recently, shattered a vertebrae trying to jump a cliff on my skis.
Living in Alaska has presented a whole new series of adventures. As an educator, I continually try to leave the classroom and challenge students to learn in unconventional ways. That I teach Ecopsychology, Psychotherapeutic Uses of the Wilderness, Community Psychology in Malawi, to name a few, is not only a treat but also a perfect platform for useful and rewarding active learning.
I feel so fortunate to be a part of the Counseling Psychology and Human Services Department at APU, not only to live in Alaska and be the mother of a little boy and girl—what could be more of an adventure than this?
