Spring 2016: Final Farewell
Heyo Wild Ones,
Current ITW President, for 1 more day, Tom Wheeler here with some final words of wisdom and a farewell to all! I wish to begin with a few thank yous to the Center for Student Leadership who have provided us with support throughout Into the Wild's early stages of growth and all who have come on our trips, spent time in the office, rented gear, partnered, supported or loved Into the Wild. Our growing community shines as we work to fulfill our mission commitment to "provide outdoor adventure trips available to all ability levels while maintaining leadership in sustainability education and operations at Santa Clara." We've made it far, but much works lies ahead.
Lets take a moment to look at what we've done together. Another year has passed and while our weekend adventures may be over now, I'm excited and invigorated for Matt Pierson, Tessa Moore, and Sam Kennard to take the reigns next year. Here's a few milestones from our inception to today:
- Since 2011 we've taken over 3,000 students, faculty, and staff all over the western United States
- We've created a hub in lower Benson for the Santa Clara community to rent gear for Into the Wild trips, andtheir own adventures
- We've partnered on-campus with Campus Ministry, BLEJIT, Green Club, ASG and look forward to scaling our impact through future partners
- We've established orientation trips for incoming first years to feel welcomed, supported, and wild
- We've established a scholarship fund to ensure everyone in the SCU community can get wild
- We've medically trained over 15 Into the Wild leaders to empower them with the skills to needed to make sure our trips are safe for everyone
- We've established a fund to offset our CO2 emissions as we seek to reduce our environmental impact
- We've traveled high into the Sierras on skis and scubaed under the sea, places we've never been before
- We've started a surf division, with 6 club owned surfboards we can shred Santa Cruz like never before
- We've planted trees with Our City Forest, working to improve our local community
- We've built, upgraded and improved our website, to serve as a launching pad for engagement
With little time left until I graduate, I've been reflecting on the many ups and downs that the last 4 years have brought. Among the 52 classes, 40 professors, and thousands of hours studying, I'm brought back to a single moment my first week as a first year, one I believe many of us can relate to. It's me, walking through Benson, a bit bewildered and overwhelmed by my new home, but excited. Suddenly, I hear someone calling out, "hey! do you like to go outside?" Well, you can't really say no, so I meandered over and was quickly met by excited voices and opportunities to go to places like Tahoe, Yosemite, Big Sur and beyond. "But I've only gone camping or backpacking once or twice before, is that ok?" I replied. "That's what we're all about" the tablers replied in unison.
So I signed up, and made one of the best decisions of my college career. A decision that has lead me to many of you and is why the leadership team loves what we do, because we've all been there in one way or another and know that feeling of inclusive excitement.
Four years later I look back on my best memories at SCU. Its not the tests, parties, or studying we most often associate with college'that stand out. For me its been hiking through the Grand Canyon or Zion, rafting down the American river, and skiing with some of my best friends at Kirkwood. It was coming face to face with El Capitan and dancing on the dunes in Death Valley, forgetting who and where I was, in these moments I learned a bit more about the joy of life and the responsibility we have to protect our only home. These checkpoints of personal growth also gave me a chance to share my education with other members of the Santa Clara community. Late nights under the stars, deep talk on hikes, debates in the car, here I learned that my education is not about gathering knowledge, but how you put it into perspective with your own life experience and use it to help others grow their understanding of our incredible world.
Now I look ahead, to a future of uncertainty and excitement. A future of more exploration and learning, guided by a single a word. Love. Love for our Earth. Love for learning. Love for the wild. It's this word that keeps me moving, curious, searching for the unknown unknowns that lies just beyond the next mountain range, over the sea, or in a park nearby. It's here we find what we couldn't conceive, and are reminded why the wild is more that just a place to see, an experience no one can take from us, and part of the kindling that ignites our passion for life.Keep learning and loving. I'll see you out there.
Sincerely,
Tom & The Into the Wild Leadership Team
P.S. If anyone's headed to the PCT this summer feel free to message me on Facebook to meet up! |
No comments:
Post a Comment