Our latest batch of Leader Bios introduces our Europe Coast to Coast squad to the Apogee world – and trust us: it’s an awesome bunch.
Leader Name: Jackie Miller (she/her)
2024 Trip: Europe Coast to Coast
Prior Apogee Experience: Pacific Coast ‘23
Hometown: Westchester, Pennsylvania
School: Bowdoin College, Class of 2025
Certifications: Wilderness First Aid, Wilderness Swim Safety & CPR
Favorite Outdoor Activities: Jackie loves it all: surfing, snowboarding, skiing, skateboarding, rock climbing, and mountain biking!
Highlight of the past year: Jackie had a busy year… between surfing in the Canary Islands, riding camels in Morocco, and many day trips all around Spain, it’s hard to pick just one highlight!
Where you can find Jackie when she’s not hitting the trails, ocean, or slopes: You can almost always find Jackie on the ice or doing something hockey-related, as she’s a member of the Bowdoin College Women’s Ice Hockey team. Jackie also teaches Spanish and Italian to students at the local school in Brunswick, Maine and you might find her leading trips with the Bowdoin Outing Club!
More cool things about Jackie: Jackie is an avid surfer! She has made her own surfboards, started her own youth surf instructor business, taught lessons, and surfed with Great White Sharks in Maine! While Jackie is finishing up a semester in Spain right now, she is so excited to explore more of Europe, especially on a bike. She’s looking forward to helping her students feel accomplished after each day’s ride and, of course, to be leading with Asher again!
Leader Name: Asher Brownstein (he/him)
2024 Trip: Europe Coast to Coast
Prior Apogee Experience: Pacific Coast ‘23
Hometown: New Paltz, New York
School: Middlebury College, Class of 2025
Certifications: Wilderness First Responder, Wilderness Swim Safety & CPR
Favorite Outdoor Activities: Asher loves all types of biking: mountain, road, etc. He also loves trail running and both alpine and nordic skiing. If it’s on skis, Asher loves it!
Highlights of the past year: Asher spent two months this year working and biking in Mallorca, Spain! No doubt preparing for his next European adventure with Apogee this summer.
Where you can find Asher when he isn’t logging miles on his bike: Asher loves to kick back with a book or plan an adventure with friends. Asher also loves baking chocolate babka! We’re hoping he brings some to Leader Training…
Fast facts about Asher: Asher has been working as a camp counselor for six years! We also love that Asher grew up on a farm; he first discovered his love of the outdoors running around with the cow and many, many chickens. Asher also spent a semester in high school at the Island School in the Bahamas! He is so excited to explore more of Europe by bike, eat lots of fresh pastries, and be reunited with his co-leader Jackie for a second Apogee summer!
Leader Name: Kendall Hermanson (she/her)
2024 Trip: Europe Coast to Coast
Prior Apogee Experience: Cape Cod & the Islands ‘23, Vermont to Montreal ‘23
Hometown: Chicago, Illinois
School: Wake Forest University, Class of 2025
Certifications: Wilderness First Aid, Wilderness Swim Safety & CPR
Favorite Outdoor Activities: Hiking, backpacking, biking, caving, whitewater kayaking, and hacky sack!
Highlights of the past year: Kendall had a busy year! Her highlights include road-tripping through Norway for 2 weeks, studying abroad in Salamanca, Spain, and leading a backpacking trip on Cumberland Island in Georgia.
Where you can find Kendall when she is not hiking or exploring: Kendall enjoys making her own clothing by sewing and up-cycling materials from second-hand stores or from her own wardrobe – each year she plans a sustainable fashion show with a club she helps run at school! Kendall also enjoys playing club field hockey at Wake, crocheting, listening to music, taking her dogs on long walks, and playing piano.
Further proof of Kendall’s awesomeness: She has volunteered for the past two years at a local elementary school to tutor and interact with native Spanish speaking-students who are learning English. Kendall hosts her own radio show at her school where she interviews her guests about their favorite albums and music in general (her favorite genre is 90s alternative with indie folk music as a close second). She also leads backpacking, canoeing, and climbing trips for other students through the Outdoor Program at Wake Forest! Kendall is so excited for another summer biking with Apogee, and is especially excited to bike through the Alps and eat a croissant (or two) under the Eiffel Tower.
Leader Name: Elijah Sarvey (he/him)
2024 Trip: Europe Coast to Coast
Prior Apogee Experience: Cape Cod & the Islands ‘22, Vermont to Montreal ‘22, Europe Coast to Coast Support ‘23
Hometown: Newton, Massachusetts
School: Tufts University, Class of 2024
Certifications: Wilderness First Aid & CPR
Favorite Outdoor Activities: Elijah loves biking of all kinds, from touring to mountain biking to road racing on the Tufts Cycling Team! Outside of biking, Elijah also enjoys hiking and taking a dip in a cool lake or river on a hot summer day.
Highlights of the past year: This year Elijah visited Lake Como, Italy where they filmed part of the second Star Wars film. Elijah had an exciting final year at Tufts, too, where he designed a robot for a capstone project, which could autonomously play the board game Operation, and he learned how to weld in a theater set fabrication class!
Where you can find Elijah when he’s not biking: You can find Elijah acting and singing in a musical, planning his next outdoor adventure, or making pancakes! He let us know that he’s mastered the art of the just-add-water pancake and we can’t wait to try them.
Other awesome things to know about Elijah: This will be Elijah’s 7th summer with Apogee! Elijah has now completed every single one of Apogee’s active bike trips! He went on Pacific Coast in 2016, Europe Coast to Coast in 2017, and America Coast to Coast in 2018, and he capped off his Apogee participant career with our Maine Coast College Essay in 2019. Outside of Apogee, Elijah is on the Tufts Model United Nations Team (as a STEM major!) and has worked at a sleepaway camp in NH where he was a lifeguard, cabin leader, and ran improv and math (due to popular demand) interest groups for the campers. Elijah is so excited to watch and help students achieve incredible things this summer and is especially looking forward to reaching the top of the Alps pass with everyone!
Leader Name: Emily Kotz (she/her)
2024 Trip: Europe Coast to Coast Support
Hometown: Lansing, Michigan
School: Kalamazoo College, Class of 2015 (BA), Michigan State University, Class of 2020 (MS), and Grand Valley State University, Class of 2025 (Graduate Teaching)
Certifications: Wilderness First Aid & CPR
Favorite Outdoor Activities: Biking, swimming, hiking, and soccer!
Highlights of the past year: This past year Emily joined the Montessori community as a Classroom Assistant and climbed the Cloud Spitter trail with friends in Kentucky’s Red River Gorge and Daniel Boone National Forest!
Where you can find Emily when she is not biking or exploring: Emily can be found reading a good book, watching documentaries, and planning her next bike trip!
Additional awesome facts about Emily: In addition to living in Aberdeen Scotland for six months, Emily has also completed several triathlons and led a 6-week youth bike trip from Michigan to New Hampshire. She coordinated Bike to School Month for over 2,000 participants in Washington and worked as a 4-H Program Coordinator, and for her Master’s Degree in Community Sustainability, Emily’s final project focused on youth learning outcomes. Emily is looking forward to forming connections with the ECC team and students this summer and having plenty of adventures.