NOLS Alumni Service Award – Yoshie Kumagae

October 21, 2009

Yoshie Each year NOLS recognizes an outstanding graduate for their volunteer service to the school as we pursue our broad educational mission. This year’s Alumni Service Award winner is Yoshie Kumagae of Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada.

Yoshie, Yukon College’s International Education Coordinator, is a 2006 graduate of a NOLS Yukon paddling expedition on the Bonnet Plume River. She saw an opportunity to connect a NOLS field education with Japanese university students’ interested in wilderness values, leadership and practical experience with English as a second language. Her brainchild culminated as a very successful 7-day NOLS backpacking expedition in the Yukon with students from Tokyo’s Waseda University. The course was so successful that Waseda repeated it in the summer of 2009. A university administrator summed up Yoshie’s work quite nicely: “This is exactly what young Japense students need!”

For her creativity, energy, vision, dedication and fearless belief in the value of a NOLS education, please join us in recognizing Yoshie Kumagae as this year’s NOLS Alumni Service Award winner.

(photo courtesy of Rich Brame)

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Rich Brame

Rich Brame came to NOLS in the 80's as a Fall Semester in the Rockies student and worked his first NOLS course at Wind Cave National Park in 1984. Since then, he's worked varied NOLS trips and courses on five continents—with a few more on the way. Rich does some frontcountry shenanigans for NOLS, too. He's headed up NOLS' public policy, research, LNT, Yukon programs and most recently in the Alumni Relations Department.