What better way to celebrate May Day than with the bios of six great Apogee leaders – read up on our Maine Coast College Essay, Cape Cod & the Islands, and Vermont to Montreal leaders below!

JANE LU

She may have grown up in Southern California, but Jane Lu can’t wait to spend her summer in The Pine Tree State leading our Maine Coast College Essay program! Jane’s love of the outdoors was instilled early, as she spent her childhood exploring coastal cliffs, beaches, mountain ranges, and deserts with her family. Her outdoor enthusiasm is only matched by her intellectual pursuits, and Jane is currently wrapping up her senior year at Vassar College where she studies Linguistics, French, Math, and Russian. Along with her studies, Jane has also has found time to lead for Vassar’s Outing Club, act as a founding member of Vassar’s Climbing Team, perform the duties of a Student Fellow for Residential Life (RA), sing in an a cappella group, perform in student theater, dance, play the cello, and spend a year abroad in Paris as a research assistant for language acquisition in children. Yikes! As if she wasn’t busy enough, Jane was a French teacher for 4th graders for an entire academic year, and has tutored students of all ages – from kids to adults. She speaks French, Russian, Chinese, and knows elementary American Sign Language, so we can’t wait to say bonjour, Здравствуйте, and 你好 to Jane this summer!

JACK DEANGELIS

We are so excited to welcome Jack DeAngelis to the Apogee team this summer to lead our Maine Coast College Essay programs! Jack grew up in Connecticut alongside his two sisters, and to say he has wide ranging interests would be an understatement. As a rising junior at the University of Richmond, you may find this English Literature major honing his skills as he curls up with a good book, puts finishing touches on an essay, or serving as a consultant at the school’s writing center. On the other end of the spectrum, you may have to pick up your pace to keep up with him as he blazes through miles as an avid runner. Jack is such a dedicated athlete, in fact, that he logged 252,631 racing meters and thousands of more while training – catch him if you can! Jack balances his intellectual and athletic pursuits and even finds time to give back to the community. An executive board member of Alpha Phi Omega, a national community service fraternity, he also loves working with kids and spent last summer working with teens at a YMCA summer camp. A member of the University of Richmond Choir, we may catch Jack humming a note or two as he assists his Apogee students with their writing, sea kayaking, or hiking this summer in Maine!

RACHEL ZUCKERMAN

Rachel Zuckerman brings her energy and passion for working with kids to our Cape Cod and the Islands trips this summer. Rachel hails from Scarsdale, NY – where she grew up in a house that was once used by George Washington and his army as sleeping quarters! In Scarsdale, Rachel began to hone her leadership skills as she worked with kids of many different ages. In 2014 and 2015, Rachel worked in a “Summer Reading Buddies” program where she worked with multi-lingual kids to keep up their English skills through the summer. She also has worked as an assistant in a special needs classroom and spent last summer as a yoga instructor at a day camp. As a yoga instructor, she taught classes for kids from ages three to thirteen — working with quite a large range of abilities! Rachel discovered her love for the outdoors as a junior in high school, creating biking and hiking itineraries for herself near her hometown. Now a rising junior at Hamilton College, Rachel is a wilderness trip leader for the Hamilton Outing Club and has an ambitious goal of hiking all of the 46 high peaks of the Adirondack mountains before graduating! We’re thrilled to have Rachel join our team for the summer, and we know Rachel is eager to explore the outdoors and embrace new adventures with her students.

BEN CAMPBELL

Growing up in Connecticut, Ben Campbell spent many of his summers vacationing on Cape Cod before his family moved to North Carolina ten years ago. We are delighted to announce that Ben will be returning to his New England roots as one of our Cape Cod and the Islands leaders this summer! A Tarheel and rising junior at the University of North Carolina, Ben is working towards a degree in Communications/Entrepreneurship. When he’s not hitting the books, he can be found outside as a leader for the U.S. National Whitewater Program at UNC or, in previous summers, as a summer camp counselor at Camp Rockmont outside of Asheville, NC. Ben worked at Camp Rockmont for the past three summers, coordinating activities and backpacking trips for his campers between the ages eight and twelve. Ben’s passion for traveling and engaging in new communities has also led him further afield than just the mountains of North Carolina. He recently returned from Honduras where he spent time volunteering with Habitat for Humanity. Not only is Ben an avid traveler and outdoorsman, he is also a frisbee whiz. He once was in a frisbee trick-shot group that was sponsored by a company! We couldn’t be more excited for Ben to hit the trails and toss the disc with his students this summer as they explore the Cape.

EMMA BALIN

Though this may be Emma Balin’s first year as an Apogee leader, she’s no stranger to the Apogee family. After completing Coast to Quebec, Pacific Coast, and America Coast to Coast as an Apogee student, we know that Emma will be right at home this summer leading our Vermont to Montréal trips. Born on New Year’s Day at 12:21 AM, Emma’s love for the outdoors blossomed during her childhood trips with her family to hike the Pyrenees, kayak off the coast of Vancouver, and explore the sunflower fields of Italy. Emma has always had a passion for working with young people – and when she wasn’t riding her bike with Apogee, Emma spent high school summers working as a camp counselor, where she specialized in choreographing talent shows. Now a rising junior at Tufts University, where she double-majors in Political Science and Entrepreneurial Leadership, Emma still calls Mamaroneck, NY, home. At Tufts, Emma serves as a Big Sister for a local middle school student, she works with the Tufts community service-based pre-orientation program, and, just like her mother, enjoys a daily cup of tea at 4 PM sharp. Fortunately for us and her Apogee students, Emma is willing to put her tea schedule on hold for the summer – and she can’t wait to explore Vermont en route to Montréal this summer!

CARTER SANDERS

In addition to his laurels as an Apogee Vermont to Montréal leader, Carter Sanders may also be the next John Legend (the contemporary R&B singer of “All of Me” fame). Growing up south of Boston, MA with his parents and sister, Carter quickly discovered an interest in working with kids, a love for adventure, and a passion for music. After summers working as the Head Lifeguard and teaching swim lessons at a local pool, Carter spent last summer following his passion for music, interning at Bar/None Records, a well-known record label. Traveling to Paris, London, and South Africa for school community service projects sparked his desire to travel, and Carter just returned from a semester of hiking, paragliding, playing music, and cultural immersion in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Carter is looking forward to his senior year at Hamilton College, where he’s the music director of his a cappella group, a two-time wilderness pre-orientation leader for Hamilton’s Adirondack Adventure program, and a Philosophy and Music double-major. We’re eagerly awaiting the release of Carter’s debut album, where he combines his love and talents for jazz piano, guitar, and singing/songwriting. In addition to his singing, Carter’s Apogee students can look forward to playing his favorite campfire game, Mafia, with him all the way up to Montréal this summer!