John grew up in the small town of Brevard, North Carolina where he spent much of his childhood roaming the mountains of Southern Appalachia in search of scenic views and good fly-fishing streams. His passion for the environment and conservation followed him through college where he earned his B.A. in Environmental Studies at UNC Chapel Hill and his Masters in Environmental Management at Duke University. John’s first exposure to NOLS was as a student on an Alaska backpacking course in 2010. The big sky, rolling tundra, and NOLS mission sold him. Since then, he has worked for the school as an Operations assistant, environmental stewardship coordinator, and field instructor.