MIA TAGGART

Apogee legend Mia Taggart is excited to be back for her sixth year as a member of the Apogee team, once again crossing the Atlantic to lead our Europe Coast to Coast trip! Before her record-breaking stint as a leader (Mia’s unparalleled slate of trips as a leader includes Coast to Quebec, Northwest Explorer, Pacific Coast, America Coast to Coast, Maine Coast College Essay, and even Europe Coast to Coast (that’s right, this is her second time crossing the Alps!)), Mia got to know Apogee as a teenager when she participated in our Pacific Coast and Coast to Quebec trips in 2007 and 2008. After graduating from Bates College with a degree in Sociology and Education, Mia worked for an educational non‐profit in Washington, D.C. where she taught Civics to students from all over the country, using the sites of the national capital as her classroom. Mia built on this passion for teaching and now teaches in the History department of a DC middle school. In college, Mia tutored Somali students in the local Lewiston schools to help them learn English. Further back, Mia took a gap year and taught art classes at Safe Passage, an organization dedicated to improving the lives of the at‐risk children whose families live off of the Guatemala City dump. A woman of wide, deep interests, Mia loves to sing, cook, sculpt, ski, bike, and hike. Mia is the ultimate Apogee woman, and we couldn’t be happier to have her back this summer to lead ECC!

TIM HUNT

We are thrilled to welcome back Tim Hunt for his fourth summer with Apogee to lead our Europe Coast to Coast trip! Tim’s diverse interests range from hiking to neuroscience to cycling to white-water kayaking to Renaissance a cappella music – and pretty much everything in between. Tim hails from Oakland, California, where he was a member of the world-renowned Pacific Boychoir Academy for eleven years. With PBA, Tim toured through Italy, France, the Czech Republic, Brazil, Argentina, South Africa and China. Tim is a 2014 Bowdoin College graduate, where he double-majored in Neuroscience and French. While at Bowdoin, Tim played trombone in the Jazz Combo, ran for both the Varsity Cross Country and Track teams, and satisfied his passion for the outdoors by spending weekends on skiing and hiking trips with the Outing Club. Tim also spent his Junior semester abroad in Paris, where he sang with the a cappella group he co-founded, and picked up useful French phrases such as “Yes, I am planning to eat both of those baguettes.” With Apogee, Tim has led our California Mountains & Coast, Pacific Coast, and Alps Explorer trips. And in case you didn’t think his adventuring credentials aren’t in order, we’re happy to tell you that Tim has completed both the Pacific Crest Trail (hiking 2,600 miles from Canada to Mexico) and all 2,200 miles of the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine! An avid cyclist, both road and mountain, Tim is looking forward to taking his love for biking oversees, and sharing passion for the outdoors once again with his Apogee students this summer!

ELIZA ADAMS

With her enthusiasm and deep love for the beauty of the Maine wilderness, Eliza Adams will be an incredible addition to the Apogee team this summer on our Maine Coast College Essay trips! Hailing from a tight-knit family in Medfield, Massachusetts, Eliza fondly remembers hiking trips among the Appalachian Mountain Club huts with her parents and twin brother. Eliza’s passion for the outdoors only continued to blossom when she reached Colby College, where she is now a rising Junior majoring in both English and Psychology. Eliza raves about her experience exploring the northern woods and western mountains in Maine with the Colby Outing Club as an orientation leader. Eliza fully embraces her leadership positions, facilitating frequent dinners and activities for her orientation group back on campus. Eliza is an active member of the Colby community, working as a writing tutor in the Writing Center and as a writing fellow to support freshmen as they make their transition to college-level writing. Off campus, Eliza serves as a mentor for kids in the Waterville middle school. Eliza has also taken her talents back to her hometown in Medfield where she has worked as a counselor at the Medfield Parks & Recreation Camp for the past two summers. We are over the moon to have Eliza serve as a mentor for students on our Maine Coast College Essay trips this summer!

GREG GALLAGHER

Proud resident of Elmsford, New York, Greg Gallagher is leaving the shadow of the Tappan Zee Bridge and heading to Maine this summer to lead our Maine Coast College Essay trips! Greg touts serious intellectual horsepower as a recent graduate of William & Mary with a degree in Finance. With previous internships at Lighthouse Advisory Services and PricewaterhouseCoopers in his back pocket, Greg is no stranger to collaborating with a team of peers and senior leaders alike. Speaking of teams, Greg competed for his college’s Division 1 Track team as a pole vaulter, traveling to all corners of the country to reach new heights. Beyond athletics and school, Greg spent a summer working for the Boomer Esiason Foundation, an organization that brings increased awareness for Cystic Fibrosis, and raised funds for six separate events over one short summer. Back home in New York, Greg was voted “Best Counselor” at Elmsford Day Camp where he planned daily physical and educational summer activities for 11-14 year old campers. In addition to rave reviews from his campers, Greg was an important liaison between parents and camp administration. And when he has the chance, Greg enjoys a retreat to his family’s cabin in the deep woods of Maine. Surrounded by the outdoors and without internet or TV, Greg loves to ride his bike, fish, read, and talk sports with his relatives. Greg is excited to create lasting friendships among his students as they master the college essay writing process!