Matthew Celesta

Position at NOLS: Marketing Representative
NOLS Course: Southwest Outdoor Educator, 2008
Wilderness Medicine Certification: Wilderness EMT

Have you ever known someone who couldn’t sit still and was always up for the next big adventure? For the NOLS Marketing Department, that person is Matthew Celesta. For this constant student, traveling and learning are one in the same. An avid outdoor enthusiast, he is determined to learn as much as possible about whatever surrounding he might find himself in.

Before finding his way to NOLS, Matthew earned a degree in Environmental Studies with a focus in Sustainable Agriculture from the University of California at Santa Cruz. But a traditional degree wasn’t enough for this global student. Matthew incorporated a three-month field study on tree conservation and sustainable agriculture in South America and then returned to his home state to hike the Colorado Trail and complete an independent study on the natural history of Colorado. In 2005 alone, Matthew spent over 100 days learning outside of a traditional classroom.

Matthew’s first opportunity to learn with NOLS was a Wilderness EMT course he took in the spring of 2007. “I had such a connection with the outdoors that taking an EMT training was an obvious choice to further my skills,” he comments. “I wanted to go for the highest form of EMS training possible.”

It wasn’t long after completing the course that Matthew found his way back to NOLS as a Rocky Mountain intern for the summer season. With the warm days of summer running out, as well as his internship, he jumped at the opportunity to head out with the NOLS Bus. “The opportunity to travel and learn with like minded people is right up my alley,” says Matthew. “I’d really like to expand my knowledge of America and who NOLS is affecting.”

In January 2008, Matthew took a hiatus from the NOLS Bus. For thirty-days, he was a student on a Southwest Outdoor Educator course. Aiming to become a more competent leader, Matthew’s course provided him the perfect avenue to build a solid foundation. “My experience in guiding prior to my course made me realize that I hadn’t acquired the skills I needed to lead a group efficiently,” he recalls.

In fall 2008, Matthew saw through the NOLS Bus’ retirement, then transitioning into a Marketing Representative position within the school. On the front line of communication, he is the go-to-guy for students, parents and the like who have questions about NOLS.

With summer rapidly approaching, he is enrolled on a Rocky Mountain Instructor Course. Anxiously counting the days, this outdoorsman can’t wait to get back into the field. Here he hopes to fine-tune his backcountry skills, while learning as much as possible from his course mates and instructors. While he enjoys a mountainous lifestyle, he aims to move into ocean travel, specifically, sailing.

“It’s that old fashioned spirit of travel. An expedition is an expedition whether it’s in the frontcountry or the backcountry,” he says.