I have loved the outdoors since I was in diapers. I grew up in Texas, and my family introduced me to the beauty of the land with constant camping, backpacking, and mountain biking trips. At 15, my life changed when my dad took us on a family road trip to Zion National Park. I became fascinated with the possibilities of canyoneering and climbing, and as we continued our Zion visits, my passion and love for the area solidified. Zion has become a sacred place for me.

I attended Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, earning a B.S. in Biology with the intention to continue on to medical school eventually. I had the opportunity to work for my university’s outdoor program as a trip leader for my last three years and it was this environment that made my college experience so positive and fulfulling. I lead trips surfing, windsurfing, hang gliding, backpacking, deep-sea fishing, climbing, and bouldering with great friends. During college, I spent my first summer in Springdale working for ZAC. The community here and the experiences from that summer changed me so much that my life from that point on began to revolve around getting outside as much as I could and I knew I would have to come back to Zion. I also was able to do some epic backpacking trips in the Grand Canyon and Superstition Mountains and it seemed I just couldn’t get enough. After graduation I couldn’t wait to get back out here, and feel so privileged to have the opportunity to be a part of ZAC again and to share my love of Zion with wonderful customers.

Through all the times in my life, the one consistent force that has brought me happiness, challenged me, helped me grow as a person, offered me sanctuary, enabled me to share love and passion and joy with family and friends, scared me, pushed me, and overwhelmed me with beauty has been nature and the outdoor world. The memories I’ve formed from living through them have always stayed with me and changed my life.

I love to be outside and while these activities do not define me, the feelings I get from them help make me who I am today. Nothing makes me feel more alive than just living and breathing outside. I try to climb, canyoneer, and hike as much as I can; during down time, I enjoy yoga, cool dips in Zion’s pools, or reading a good book in the sunshine.