There are a lot of people that keep the Apogee-cog turning all summer, and this next batch of folks are some of the most important. In addition to our New England Support Staff team, we also are excited to introduce our Summer Enrollment and Administration Specialist and our Summer Housing and Warehouse Specialist!
Leader Name: Sage Watterson (she/her) 
2023 Role: Summer Enrollment and Administration Specialist
Hometown: Yarmouth, Maine
School: University of Richmond, Class of 2022
Previous Apogee Experience: New England Support Staff ‘22, Maine Coast College Essay ‘21
Favorite Outdoor Activities: Lobstering, ultimate frisbee, biking, swimming in the ocean, and, of course, walking dogs!
Highlights of the past year: Sage bravely embarked on a ten-week solo backpacking trip through Italy and France! She WWOOFed (Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms) and ate delicious food across much of Europe!
Where you can find Sage when she is not playing ultimate: She enjoys going to concerts (at Thompson’s Point in Portland, we’re sure!), reading Stephen King, and watching her favorite New England sports teams.
More awesome facts about Sage: She has worked as a Richmond Campus Ambassador for L.L. Bean for three years, her family has five recreational lobster traps that they haul all summer, and she has previously done statistics for the Maine Mayhem, the Maine women’s football team! Sage also wants the world to know that she learned to make gnocchi this spring on a farm in Italy. We can’t forget to mention that Sage is also a five-year Apogee Student alum and participated in our Cape Cod & the Islands, Vermont to Montreal, Pacific Coast, America Coast to Coast, and Maine Coast College Essay trips!
Leader Name: Marin Ehrmantraut (she/her)
2023 Role: Summer Housing and Warehouse Specialist
Hometown: Bismarck, North Dakota
School: Bachelor’s from Minnesota State University – Moorhead and Master’s from North Dakota State University
Certifications: Wilderness First Aid & CPR
Favorite Outdoor Activities: Marin loves to hike, bike, rollerblade, hammock, longboard, ice skate, and garden. So… pretty much anything outdoors!
Highlights of the past year: Marin had a great last year and was able to hike Black Elk Peak and visit Badlands National Park!
Where you can find Marin when she isn’t romping around outside: Marin loves jamming on the ukulele, coloring, lifting weights, or watching (and rewatching) the sitcom Friends. You might also find her devouring classic Jane Gooddall content!
More magnificent tidbits about Marin: Marin was lucky enough to study abroad in Chitre, Panama, for a semester in high school. Marin also worked as a mentor and partner with Unified Sports through Special Olympics for both flag football and for bowling. Now, she is in the process of becoming a physical therapist and it was this work with the Special Olympics that inspired her! Marin is also a Certified Personal Trainer!
Leader Name: Frances Kirk (she/her) 
2023 Role: New England Support
Hometown: Columbus, Ohio
School: Clemson University, Class of 2022
Past Apogee Experience: Vermont and Lake Champlain ‘21, New England Support ‘22, Maine Coast Junior ‘22
Certifications: Wilderness First Aid & CPR
Favorite Outdoor Activities: Rowing, hiking, backpacking, and hammocking
Highlights of the past year: Frances was lucky enough to spend three months living and working in Barcelona as an au pair!
Where you can find Frances when she isn’t laying in a hammock or rowing: Frances loves to read and bake pastries – and, we hope sharing her pastries with her coworkers! You can also find Frances making people feel at home and with a big smile on her face at pretty much any given moment in an Apogee summer.
Fantastic Frances Facts: First, and maybe most importantly, she knows all (ALL) of the lyrics to the musical, Hamilton! Frances has also been known to deliver impromptu performances of said musical…. Maybe even more exciting, however, is that Frances is currently writing a novel! Before her time with Apogee, Frances has babysat, nannied, and tutored kids from ages 8-18, including providing reading assistance to underprivileged students in her hometown of Columbus.
Leader Name: Henry Hamilton (he/him)
2023 Role: New England Field Support
Prior Apogee Experience: New England Support Staff ‘22
Hometown: New York City, New York
School: Skidmore College, Class of 2023
Certifications: Wilderness First Aid & CPR
Highlights of the past year: In May, Henry ran a marathon relay with his college roommates and had a blast!
Where you can find Henry when he isn’t zooming around: Henry recently discovered a passion for podcasting and has combined this new passion with an old one – story telling. Henry has been putting the two together and using podcasts as a way to combine audio into delightful short stories!
Favorite Outdoor Activities: Hiking, biking, swimming, and running
Other reasons Henry is the absolute coolest: Henry leads pre-orientation hiking and canoeing trips for incoming students at Skidmore in addition to his experience working as a bike mechanic at his local shop. He also had his own radio show at Skidmore throughout his time there. In addition, as a former Apogee student, Henry participated on our Pacific Coast, Europe Coast to Coast, and Coast to Quebec biking trips – all with his sister and new Apogee leader, Catie!
Leader Name: Andre Chiquito (he/him)
2023 Role: New England Support
Hometown: Durham, North Carolina
School: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Class of 2024
Certifications: Wilderness First Aid & CPR
Highlights of the past year: Andre took a huge trip last summer, where he was able to rock climb in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and also travel over 1000 miles to climb in northern Norway!
Where you can find Andre when he isn’t scaling rock walls: Andre can often be found making music, and he loves to learn new songs on the piano. He also loves photography and can often be found behind the camera.
Favorite Outdoor Activities: Rock climbing (obviously), pack rafting, caving, and backpacking
Other reasons Andre is the awesomest: Andre has visited every country in Central America and taught himself to do diagnostics and repairs on MacBook motherboards! You might say he is a man of many talents… Andre also spent several years performing aerial silks and mentoring young aerial silks performers. Andre is also a natural-born rock climbing coach and guides his friends up a variety of rock climbs throughout the Southeast!
Leader Name: Elsa Eckhardt (she/her)
2023 Role: New England Support
Hometown: St. Johnsbury, Vermont
School: Saint Lawrence University, Class of 2023
Certifications: Wilderness First Aid, Lifeguard & CPR
Favorite Outdoor Activities: Elsa loves skiing (both “vertically and horizontally”) canoeing, hiking, backpacking, and car camping!
Highlights of the past year: Elsa was lucky enough to paddle the Buffalo River in Arkansas over the course of her spring break and also was able to ski at Solitude Mountain for the first time!
Where you can find Elsa when she isn’t darting down the ski slopes: She loves to sing and can be found belting out tunes all over the place – in her car, in the shower, singing herself a lullaby, and, we have to assume, serenading her friends and coworkers!
More excellent facts about Elsa: Last year, Elsa had the opportunity to study abroad in Nepal and live with a wonderful Tibetan host family. She loved learning about Tibetan culture and even rode the rides at Nepali Disneyland (and tried yak meat!). Elsa is conversationally fluent in Norwegian and had the privilege of living in Alesund, Norway, for six months in high school. Elsa also leads trips for younger students at Saint Lawrence University as part of their Outing Club!