Alumni Accomplishments

What do Marc Randolph, Jimmy Chin, José González, Knight Campbell, and Kit DesLauriers have in common? Listen to their stories to learn how NOLS influenced their trails to success.

I had no idea I was going to work toward this masterpiece of a race, where I’d blend skills I'd spent years working on for 1,000 miles in the winter with a sled. But now I look back and I see it all come together, and NOLS was the conduit, the peephole.

Once upon a time, two young bankers met by chance, bonding over their NOLS expeditions in Wyoming's mountains. The rest is history—a true NOLS love story.

NOLS grad, former instructor, and current Board member Jimmy Chin shares reflections on adventure, storytelling, family, and his NOLS experience.

NOLS grad-turned-instructor Katiya Gombar says that not a single day goes by without thinking of her expedition in Alaska and the lessons she learned there.

USNA grad and Marine veteran Mike Titzer reflects on the lessons he learned on his student course and his return to Alaska as a NOLS instructor.

Winter is ripe for lessons in expedition behavior (EB) for everyone, especially kids.

Now an associate professor at Western Carolina University, NOLS grad Andrew Bobilya still treasures the lessons he learned on his Baja sea kayaking course.

While recovering from a devastating injury, Jim Harris found himself returning to key life lessons he learned as a teen on a NOLS backpacking course.

NOLS instructor and American Avalanche Association executive director Jaime Musnicki talks about her career in the outdoor industry.

John Gans is NOLS' longest-serving director and his tenure has been notable for strengthening the school and prioritizing the well-being and needs of students.

NOLS alumni give advice for taking friends and family on a NOLS alumni trip.

One NOLS graduate uses her Wilderness First Responder skills to help a surfer in need.

NOLS grad Alyssa Walker concludes that camping with her two young children was magical—and also one of the hardest things she's ever done as a parent.

Carolyn Highland reflects on one of her favorite days ever—ascending an unnamed peak with a student-only team on her NOLS semester—and its lasting impact.

Kathryn Wheeler reflects on the role of technology in our daily lives and offers advice on how to truly unplug.

A NOLS grad, writer, and mother of two, Alyssa Walker reflects on how the expedition behavior she learned in Alaska applies to parenting.

Surgeon Katy Trahan levels up her medical training on a Wilderness Upgrade for Medical Professionals course with NOLS.

A NOLS Wilderness Medicine grad shares how her first aid training became critically important when she encountered an injured climber on a weekend trip.

NOLS grad Carolyn Highland reflects on how learning tolerance for adversity on an outdoor semester in New Zealand translates to challenges at home.

NOLS alumni of all ages come together to repair a bridge in the Adirondacks.