Leadership — GOATs

Outdoor Ed guides (GOATs) apply in December and then are interviewed in January. Selected guides spend the spring semester in training. There are weekly trainings, wilderness first responder (WFR) training over spring break, and a capstone backpacking trip after finals. After new guides’ first semester, they attend biweekly meetings and lead trips and pre-orientation (GOPOP).

Kris Nessler

Director of Outdoor Education
Hometown: Bethesda, MD

Favorite OE Memory:
The Friday before GOPOP when students return to campus full of spirit and camarderie!

Cici Sprouse

CAS ’26
Hometown: Chattanooga, TN
Major: Justice and Peace Studies
Minor: Government and Spanish
Goat Class: Spring ’23

Favorite hike:
The Triple Crown in Virginia, which I hiked last semester with a group. It has the most incredible views, especially during Fall, and trail takes you up and down multiple ridges around the same valley.

Daisy Fynewever

CAS ’26
Hometown: Grand Rapids, MI
Major: Environmental Biology, Justice and Peace Studies
Minor: Spanish
Goat Class: Spring ’24

Favorite hike:
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is one of the prettiest hikes in Michigan, and I had the opportunity to backpack it after high school

Dylan Davis

CAS ’26
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Major: Psychology
Minor: Pre-Med
Goat Class: Spring ’23

Favorite OE Memory:
Learning how to build a femur traction splint and making new friends during WFR training.

Dylan Taylor

CAS ’26
Hometown: Durango, CO
Major: Philosophy
Minor: Theology
Goat Class: Spring ’24

Favorite Hike:
North Kaibab, Grand Canyon. It’s a grueling battle of a hike, but the reward is such a powerful, spiritual experience when you finally see the Colorado River at the bottom.

Eddy Binford-Ross

SFS ‘26
Hometown: Salem, OR
Major: International Politics
Minor: Journalism
Goat Class: Spring ’24

Favorite Hike:
Mount Saint Helens, Washington. For years, my family’s Mother’s Day tradition was to climb Helens. Following the decades old PNW tradition, we would don our best (goodwill) dresses for the climb to the summit.

Emma Lindbergh

CAS ’26
Hometown: Charlottesville, VA
Major: Computer Science
Minor: Environmental Studies
Goat Class: Spring ’23

Favorite OE Memory:
Doing gymnastics and yoga on paddle boards in the upper Potomac with my GOPOP group!

Jaylah “Jay” Lewis

SFS ‘26
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Major: RCST (Regional and Comparative Studies)
Minor: Biology and Japanese
Goat Class: Spring ’23

Favorite hike:
Solstice Canyon Loop, Malibu, California, I have done this hike numerous times with friends, basketball teammates, and family. My dad and I got lost on the trail once while on our annual Father’s Day hike.

Jessie Traxler

CAS ’26
Hometown: Newton, MA
Major: Political Economy
Minor: Chinese and Environmental Studies
Goat Class: Spring ’23

Favorite OE Memory:
overnight trip to Elk Neck State Park. The drive up had a lot of leaf peeping, and I got to spend a night in the woods with friends! Was able to relax and eat some great trail good!

Lauren Amodio

CAS ’26
Hometown: Pembroke Pines, FL
Major: Psychology
Goat Class: Spring ’23

Favorite hike:
Billy Goat, MD, I love the scrambling!

Matt Gardiner

CAS ’26
Hometown: Seattle, WA
Major: History and Biology
Goat Class: Spring ’23

Favorite OE Memory:
Camping under the stars while guiding GOPOP ’23.

Scott Burke

CAS ’26
Hometown: Irvine, CA
Major: Physics and Classics
Goat Class: Spring ’23

Favorite OE Memory:
Writing a play with my backpacking group during GOPOP 2023.

Tess Prutow

MSB ’26
Hometown: San Diego, CA
Major: Operations & Analytics
Minor: Statistics
Goat Class: Spring ’23

Favorite OE Memory:
On a camping trip this fall, we spent over an hour trying to build a fire and then right when it worked it started raining. But, we held a raincoat over the fire so we could still make s’mores

Vera Berezhny

CAS ’26
Hometown: Nairobi, Kenya and Kyiv, Ukraine
Major: Economics and Environmental Biology
Goat Class: Spring ’23

Favorite hike:
Mount Kenya in Kenya! The highest mountain I’ve done and the most beautiful views ever. I’ve never again seen that many stars in the night sky – even colored stars!

Xenia Ellis

CAS ’26
Hometown: Seattle, WA
Major: Government
Minor: Sociology and Environmental Studies
Goat Class: Spring ’23

Favorite OE Memory:
Making ramen bombs on the guide capstone trip!

Daisy Thomas

CAS ’27
Hometown: New York, NY
Major: History and Linguistics
Goat Class: Spring ’24

Favorite Hike:
Sabattus Mountain in Maine, there’s a bench at the top where you can sit and watch the birds with an incredible view.

Lily Loft

SOH ’27
Hometown: Marin County, CA
Major: Global Health
Goat Class: Spring ’24

Favorite OE Memory:
Waking up at 6 am for a sunrise hike during GOAT training!

Kate Nonnenkamp

CAS ’27
Hometown: Germantown, MD
Major: Physics and Linguistics
Goat Class: Spring ’24

Favorite OE Memory:
Cowboy camping the last night of GOPOP – and having to run into the tent at 4am because it started raining!

Sophie Westen

SOH ‘27
Hometown: Lafayette, CA
Major: Global Health
Goat Class: Spring ’24

Favorite Hike:
Little Lakes Valley in the Eastern Sierra. Nothing can beat cold plunging into an alpine lake!

Emma Kim

SFS’28
Hometown: Princeton, NJ
Major: Business and Global Affairs
Minor: Spanish
Goat Class: Spring ’25

Favorite OE Memory:
The pouring rain during our first two days of capstone…. We are trauma bonded for life now

Emma Nicotra

CAS ’28
Hometown: Denver, CO
Major: Political Economy
Goat Class: Spring ’25

Favorite Hike:
Silver Dollar Lake, Colorado, It has beautiful views and I love bringing friends and family there 🙂

Ilena Dang

CAS ’28
Hometown: Salt Lake City, UT
Major: Economics
Minor: Environment & Sustainability, Law Justice & Society
Goat Class: Spring ’25

Favorite Hike:
Bloods Lake Trailhead, Park City, UT – A hike I love doing, beginning to end. The trail is spotted with beautiful wildflowers and winds through an aspen grove until you reach a lake that you can rope swing into.

Phoebe Nash

CAS ’28
Hometown: Seattle, WA
Major: American Studies
Minor: Creative Writing
Goat Class: Spring ’25

Favorite OE Memory:
Eating at Yokums after Capstone! It was a fabulous end to a week of backpacking and a WV chili cheeseburger is a culinary delicacy!