At the age of 16 I started a photography business and was able to save enough for my first year of college. 15 countries, 73 films, and 14 years later I’m now so incredibly thankful for the encouragement of teachers and instructors who gave me the confidence to not only be creative, but to proudly own it as a part of my identity.
Our North American educational system does not do enough to support the growth and confidence in student’s creativity. Whether they want to become filmmakers or accountants, I believe creativity is innate in all of us and must be practiced and grown or it will slowly weaken. As humans, we are inherently so creative and I’d love to be given the opportunity to help nuture and inspire those of the future.
I couldn’t be more excited about the thought of sharing my passion, knowledge and experience with students at Quest. Over the years I’ve been drawn to many other outlets for sharing these experiences and insights:
- Sailing Instructor for troubled inner city youth, with the mission being to use the instruction process to teach life lessons and how to create and attain goals.
- Organized and taught at 5 different whitewater kayaking festivals throughout China, where the locals learned safety, technique and rescue, while celebrating river stewardship and environmental responsibility.
- Photography and videography seminars and technique classes for National Geographic
- Guest speaker at universities, high schools and businesses on China’s: Current Economics, Conservation Movement’s Future, and Mixing Hydropower Energy Demands and the Environment.
- Organized the 1st & 2nd annual “Bozeman Paddling Film Festival”. Over 300 hundred in attendance with all proceeds donated to First Descents, a paddling camp for cancer survivors.