Staff Profile: Olivia Coble

Switching gears, we thought today's post would highlight a staff member who has participated in Moondance as a student as well as a leader. Olivia Coble hails from Nasvhille, TN and attended her first Moondance trip (Pacific Northwest) as student in 2006. Olivia's infectious energy and positive attitude earned her legendary Moondancer status as a teen, and we couldn't wait until she could share the Moondance experience on "the other side" as a leader. This past summer, Olivia was an intern on our California Discovery trip and will be leading again in 2013.

Olivia is currently in Uganda helping to restore peace in the northern part of the country and working to improve the future of its youth. This should come as no surprise to those of us who know Olivia, who is always there to give a smile and a helping hand. Here's a little more on Olivia!

Age: 21

Education (high school and college): Harpeth Hall High School in Nashville, Colorado College

Summers with Moondance (led and attended as a student): As a kid: Pacific Northwest in 2006, California Lost Coast (now called Yosemite Classic) in 2007, and Northern Lights in 2008. Led California Discovery this past summer

Favorite book: James and the Giant Peach or Pride and Prejudice

Favorite movie: The Lord of the Rings trilogy - especially the second one, love to watch them when I'm sick

Favorite band/musician: Nickel Creek

Favorite song? Maybe "Fake Empire" by The National or "The Lighthouse's Tale" by Nickel Creek or "Hard Sun: by Eddie Vedder

Dream Moondance Trip: of those available currently, probably Thailand or Kilimanjaro...BUT I'd love to get one planned to Uganda eventually!

Favorite place you've ever traveled: Probably Uganda, since I'm here right now and it's the longest I've ever gotten to be in one country. But I love Switzerland, and I love the western half of the US!

Motto for living life: Do what makes your soul shine, and live in the moment as much as you can.

Thanks for sharing your answers with us, Olivia! We look forward to profiling more great leaders on the blog!

Student Profile: Meg Kennedy

Much like our Leader Profile blog from a few weeks ago, we wanted to share some information about the type of students we have on board our trips. Just a reminder that all of our new applicants must provide contact information for two teacher references who can vouch for their motivated and positive spirit in the classroom or on the field. These teacher recommendations ensure we only get the highest caliber students on board our programs.

On such young lady is Meg Kennedy who has participated in three total Moondance trips, most recently our Kilimanjaro adventure in the summer of 2012. We thought we'd check in with Meg to see how Moondance has impacted her and the lessons she's learned from our adventures.

That's Meg with a young student of the Red Sweater Project during our Kilimanjaro community service section

NAME: Meg Kennedy

HOMETOWN: Kenilworth, IL

CURRENT GRADE: 12

PREVIOUS MOONDANCE TRIPS/YEAR: Hawaiian Islands 2010, Chamonix Alps 2011, Kilimanjaro 2012

MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT ON A MOONDANCE TRIP?: The most memorable moment on a Moondance trip for me was definitely reaching the top of Kilimanjaro and having our entire group circle up and sing "Hallelujah" together. We all worked so hard to reach the top and I will never forget the moment we got there!

WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO JOIN MOONDANCE? One of my older sisters best friends, Joanie Davis, had done a few Moondance trips and always came back with the most amazing stories to tell. So, in the spring of 2010 I decided I wanted to go on a trip myself!

BEFORE YOUR FIRST TRIP WITH US, WHAT DID YOU EXPECT? Before my first trip began I was nervous and didn't know what to expect. I was hoping to meet new people that would continue to be my friends after the trip and of course this came true! Also, I was excited about the chance to live in the outdoors for three weeks and enjoy all the adventures, especially SCUBA diving [in Hawaii].

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE DESTINATIONS YOU'VE VISITED WITH MOONDANCE? It is hard to describe in words all the destinations I have visited with Moondance, because they have all been so amazing and words can't do them justice. Hawaii was beautiful due to all the rainbows, mountains, and beaches surrounding us everyday. Also, relaxing yet eventful as we were participating in many new activities such as scuba diving, surfing, and snorkeling with manta rays. Europe was a mix of educational and astonishing. We were in four foreign countries learning about their culture and hearing languages different from our own, and the views we saw everyday on our hikes were incredible and continued to amaze me with every hike. Africa was unique in every way. The scenery was so different then anything I have seen. The idea of being able to see for miles and miles and the only thing blocking your view was wild animals and smiling faces of the members of african tribes, was heart warming and peaceful. Also, every single person we met and got to know were all so happy and content with their lives and that seemed to be the nature of living. All together it was very memorable and eye opening.

IF YOU COULD DESCRIBE MOONDANCE IN ONE WORD, WHAT WOULD IT BE? Life-changing

HOW WILL YOU APPLY WHAT YOU LEARNED ON MOONDANCE IN THE FUTURE? The skills I have acquired on Moondance will carry on through the rest of my life. I am going off to college next year and the self confidence and independence I have learned through all my Moondance trips and from the people I have met on them will enable me to take full advantage of college and not be scared of trying something new. On all my trips my groups and I have worked hard to accomplish a goal and the idea of hard work paying off will help me overcome any challenge.

Thanks to Meg for sharing her answers with us! We look forward to sharing more great Moondancers stories with you!

Nature=One of Our Greatest Teachers

Homework…tests…quizzes…sports games…band practice…club meetings. How do you guys do it these days!?

If you want to learn how to better prioritize your life and effective ways to handle your everyday routine, we think we know just the summer adventure program to help you accomplish just that (hint: it’s us!) With this summer being our 18^th, we’ve found that experiencing all that nature and world travel has to offer can change your outlook on life for the better.

Being Leader of the Day (or even just part of a sweet Moondance crew) can teach you how to keep up with many different responsibilities by providing an opportunity to practice and master a variety of outdoor and social skills. The skills that you’re taught and that you practice during your outdoor adventure travel can be done by anyone with some patience, perseverance and instruction, so everyone can gain valuable life skills by learning about nature and the areas where we travel. Nature can help you gain confidence, become a stronger leader and best of all, create lasting friendships. AND there’s no experience necessary to get all these great things out of a Moondance trip (though if you have experience, what better way to keep learning and growing than on one of our trips?)

Motivation to Persevere

Hey, we know it’s not easy being a teen these days – snarky group texts! Mean Facebook messages! Dealing with the difficulties that come with growing up presents a challenge in itself: to give up or to persevere. But you’ve got a choice! Perseverance can be taught through experiencing nature in a beautiful setting with a group of new friends.

Not only will participating in a Moondance trip give you the experience of taking control and leading others in activities including backpacking, rock climbing and whitewater rafting, but simply observing the power of nature in the outdoors can give you a reason to reach a little farther and jump a little higher. To “Live in the Moment.”

If you're ready to experience the AWESOME power of nature, we’re here to make it happen. You can call the office and get more information about any and every trip you so desire. Even on our community service trips, you not only use nature to your benefit but also give back to nature as well, though all of the programs are planned with environmental concerns in mind.

Now who’s ready for some MOONDANCE?