Every day is another step closer to another awesome Apogee summer and with that, we have another round of Leader Bios to send into the world! Read on for interesting and exciting info about our Vermont to Montreal, Cape Cod & the Islands, and Maine Coast Photo Leaders!
Leader Name: Lena Pepe (she/her/hers)
2022 Trip: Vermont to Montreal
Hometown: New York, New York
School: Vassar College, Class of 2023
Major: Drama
Certifications: Wilderness First Aid, Lifeguard & CPR
Favorite Outdoor Activities: Swimming, biking, playing frisbee, hiking, climbing trees, running, cliff jumping and making fairy houses
Highlights of 2021: Lena spent a semester abroad studying theater in London, went cycling on Cape Cod, and took a friend cliff jumping for the first time!
Where you can find Lena when she’s not outside: Usually, playing guitar! But you can also find her playing cards, cooking, doing yoga, knitting and embroidering, and eating endless amounts of pickles.
Just a few reasons why we think Lena is amazing: She certainly has a flair for the dramatic – Lena used to perform static trapeze, and she loves to direct videos starring her younger sister and friends. She also co-founded a theater company at Vassar called Independent Productions, and sings in the Russian Department band at school!
Leader Name: Max Widmann (he/him/his)
2022 Trip: Vermont to Montreal
Hometown: New York, New York
School: Princeton University, Class of 2024
Major: History, with certificates in Urban and Environmental Studies
Certifications: Wilderness First Aid, Lifeguard & CPR
Favorite Outdoor Activities: Cycling, kayaking, and finding new trees to attach his hammock to.
Highlights of 2021: Last summer Max helped his brother move out west from the east coast, and along the way, he explored Zion and Bryce Canyon during his travels and visited seven new states!
Where you can find Max when he’s not outside: At Princeton’s radio station where he coordinates the station’s operations and hosts his own radio show! He also volunteers at Princeton’s art museum, where he leads art classes for kids and families affected by domestic violence.
Some other awesome things about Max: He took a gap year before college during which he lived in Udaipur, India for seven months with a host family. Max also loves cooking, and he tries to replicate recipes he’s come across in his travels. We can’t forget to mention that Max was a participant on our Vermont to Montreal trip in 2015 and also our Scottish Highlands trip in 2016!
Leader Name: Kelly Zeilman (she/her/hers)
2022 Trips: Cape Cod & the Islands and Vermont to Montreal
Hometown: Simsbury, Connecticut
School: Dartmouth College, Class of 2022
Major: Sociology
Certifications: Wilderness First Aid, Lifeguard & CPR
Favorite Outdoor Activities: Skiing, running and hiking
Highlights of the past year: Last year, Kelly went on a ski trip in Austria (ooh!) and hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon (ah!)
Where you can find Kelly when she’s not outside: Searching for the best ice cream in New England!
A few incredibly fun facts about Kelly: She jumped in the Connecticut River every day of her spring term of college senior year, she spent a summer teaching middle school in Texas, and her favorite animal is a moose! Plus, Kelly has spent two years at Dartmouth directing a mentorship program for low-income students and led two first-year wilderness orientation trips!
Leader Name: Elijah Sarvey (he/him/his)
2022 Trips: Cape Cod & the Islands and Vermont to Montreal
Hometown: Newton, Massachusetts
School: Tufts University, Class of 2024
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Certifications: Wilderness First Aid, CPR & Lifeguarding
Favorite Outdoor Activities: Exploring by bicycle, backpacking/hiking, and swimming as a fun way to end a summertime hike or bike ride
Highlights of the past year: Elijah played Sky in his college’s production of Mamma Mia! Before the start of his sophomore year, he hiked Mt. Chocorua in New Hampshire with his mother and sister.
Where you can find Elijah when he’s not biking: Playing with his dog, doing musical theater, or watching Lord of the Rings or Star Wars.
Other awesome things to know about Elijah: Elijah is a four-time Apogee student! He went on Pacific Coast in 2016, Europe Coast to Coast in 2017, America Coast to Coast in 2018, and capped it all off with Maine Coast College Essay in 2019. In addition to working as a lifeguard at Tufts, Elijah also spent last summer as a camp counselor and wilderness trip leader!
Leader Name: Hannah Connors (she/her/hers)
2022 Trips: Vermont to Montreal and Cape Cod & the Islands
Hometown: Grosse Pointe, Michigan
School: University of Michigan, Class of 2020
Major: Public Policy
Certifications: Wilderness First Responder, Lifeguard & CPR
Favorite Outdoor Activities: Hiking and camping
Highlights of the past year: Visiting three National Parks (Glacier, Yellowstone, and Grand Teton!) and facilitating experiential education on a biodynamic farm in upstate New York.
Where you can find Hannah when she is not doing yoga or hanging outside: She enjoys reading psychology and sociology books, writing letters, and searching for the best local coffee shops and sunset vistas!
Further proof of Hannah’s awesomeness: She has been to Tanzania and climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain in Africa! Hannah is very passionate about mental health, and she oversaw an organization in college that served over 500 students and ran more than 30 peer support groups each week. She also ran a marathon as a high school senior, and participated in our Caribbean Service in 2014!
Leader Name: Eli Robison (he/him/his)
2022 Trips: Vermont to Montreal and Cape Cod & the Islands
Hometown: Westport, Connecticut
School: Emory University, Class of 2025
Major: Economics
Certifications: Wilderness First Aid (WFA), Lifeguard & CPR
Favorite Outdoor Activities: Snowboarding, surfing, and paddle boarding
Highlights of 2021: Working on a goat farm in Moab, Utah!
Where you can find Eli when he’s boarding: Playing ultimate frisbee or chatting for hours about movies.
Just a few reasons why we think Eli is amazing: He took a gap year before enrolling at Emory, during which he backpacked 600 miles of the Appalachian Trail, tutored math, and spent time skiing in Utah. Eli has also spent seven years volunteering with an organization that provides inclusive social experiences for kids with disabilities and has worked as a camp counselor, cooking assistant, and a paddle board instructor! Lastly, Eli also attended Apogee’s Pacific Coast biking trip as a student in 2017!
Leader Name: Ben Curry (he/him/his)
2022 Trips: Maine Coast Photo and Cape Cod & the Islands
Hometown: Las Cruces, New Mexico
School: Colorado College, Class of 2025
Major: Environmental Science
Certifications: Wilderness First Responder, Lifeguard & CPR
Favorite Outdoor Activities: Mountain biking, backpacking, hiking, and photography.
Highlights from the past year: Ben got to spend a lot of time downhill mountain bike racing!
What Ben loves to do when he is not busy mountain biking: He loves making videos! One of his all-time favorite pastimes is filming and editing videos. He is also an avid photographer.
Other reasons why Ben is the best: Ben spent three weeks camping in Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa. He works as a videographer for the Colorado College Athletics Department and has worked as a photographer for the last five years. Ben has also spent several years volunteering for a program that promotes exercise, healthy youth development, and a sense of community through walking and biking to school!
Leader Name: Kit Taylor (she/her/hers)
2022 Trips: Maine Coast Photo and Cape Cod & the Islands
Hometown: Rochester, New York
School: Hamilton College, Class of 2022
Majors: Psychology and Education
Certifications: Wilderness First Aid, Lifeguard & CPR
Favorite Outdoor Activities: Swimming, hiking, kayaking
Highlights from the past year: Kit took a trip to Burlington, Vermont, to hike with her friends. She also knit seven pairs of socks and 20 scarves!
Where you can find this knitting master: Kit loves Bananagrams! She also enjoys going on runs through the Hamilton Glen.
Additional super awesome Kit facts: At Hamilton, Kit was a Resident Advisor for first-year students and is on the board of the Campus Activities Board where she helps plan events like goat yoga and carnivals. Kit has also worked as a Camp Counselor, Outdoor Cooking Specialist, and Village Head at summer camp.