Guest blog from our staff member Lauren! She worked as a Logistics Coordinator this past summer out of the Southwest Program, based in Moab, Utah, and wanted to share her experience.
I knew very little about Outward Bound before moving to Moab. In fact, I knew absolutely nothing, because I had somehow given my boss the wrong email address and instead of questioning the lack of communication after I accepted the position, I just showed up. As unaware as I was about what my job was going to be, I was even less aware of how drastically Outward Bound would change my life.
So, I made a list of things I’ve learned this summer:
1. Backing up a trailer is not as hard as it looks.
2. Making any type of chocolate dessert for teenagers gives you instant cool points.
3. If you lend out a sharpie to someone, expect to never see that sharpie again.
4. Backcountry pancakes take time…the patience is worth it.
5. SUNSCREEN
6. If you are not a ‘hugger’, you may become one.
7. There is never a bad time to wear a banana suit.
8. Tandem bicycles are dangerous. Wear yo helmets folks.
And finally…
9. A key to happiness in life: friends that want to explore after work, and encourage you to try new things and leap far outside your comfort zone
Being a logistics coordinator is certainly not a glamorous job. We pack all the gear and food for adventures that we have to wave goodbye to, and sew their backpacks when they return. That being said, I have found it to be pretty much as rewarding as I think I would if I were an instructor. I’ve seen a group of teenagers awkwardly start a course, and turn into a silly crew that, despite their struggles, grow and empower each other to succeed. I’ve been able to have conversations with students about life, opportunity, challenges, relationships, and how they are going to create change when they return home.
Beyond the Outward Bound scope, I never expected to find a home so easily in a place I had only driven through once before. Moab has a special place in my heart that words cannot fully describe. And as an LC I get to experience all that Moab has to offer and go on my own adventures when work is over. We live in a small community of lively people that only wish for a life that is simple and covered in red sand. People at COBS work here in Moab because we all have a soul that searches to live out our passions. It is not often one gets to live in a place that offers so much in one concentrated area.
To wrap this up, I’ve discovered that there are a few different paths to take in life. One is to find a job that allows you to do the things you want in your vacation time, if they ever give you any or if you ever take advantage of it. Another, which I have found to be much better, is to find a job that allows you to grow, explore, be silly, learn a lot, fail a lot, and see incredibly beautiful places while working, and encouraging you even more when you are not. Being an LC gave me a job where I worked hard, and played harder. Colorado Outward Bound School as a whole gave me a place where I can be my best possible self, and teach others to live their lives the same way.
To apply for a position with the Southwest Program visit our employment page.
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