Staff Stories
Summer Staff!
As the summer months approach we are getting more and more excited to welcome our seasonal staff that will be helping out with our summer courses. So far we have some of the bios for the staff, take a look!
Amelia Garita
Hometown: Perez Zeledon, Costa Rica
Education: Business Manager in Sustainable Tourism
Amelia grew up near the highest mountains of Costa Rica, near the Chirripó National Park. Her passion for the mountains started when she was 11 years and has since escalated with the proximity to this national park. The magic, peace and tranquility that Amelia received while in the mountains was what led her to become a tour guide, now working throughout the mountains for 5 years. Amelia is a lover of diving, rafting, hiking and also a professional dancer of tropical music. Her studies focused on sustainable tourism.
Ame will join us this summer!
Kai Lorusso
Hometown: Charleston, SC
Education/Certifications: B.S. in Spanish from the College of Charleston, Open Water Lifeguard, First Aid and CPR, Certified by PASA as a Kiteboarding Instructor
With a passion for surfing since a young age, Kai is eager to share his experience and love for the sport with Outward Bound students while improving his Spanish Language skills in the beautiful country of Costa Rica. Before joining the Outward Bound team Kai was pedaling a rickshaw in downtown Charleston while traveling through Latin America every chance that he had in order to surf and kiteboard. Kai spent his first two years out of high school traveling and competing in various kiteboarding competitions before deciding to go back to school and get a B.S. in Spanish from the College of Charleston. In addition to being a surfing and kiteboarding instructor, Kai enjoys sailing, fishing, camping, playing music with friends and being in the outdoors. Kai is very excited to be able to spend time in Costa Rica and share life changing experiences with the students and staff of Outward Bound.
Kai makes it look easy
Tico Rangers Get Training
Instructors Danny and Diego recently headed off for some time in the jungle to help train the park rangers of Costa Rica. The training included methods for wilderness hikes, as well as practice for how to handle whitewater rescue situations. Take a look below at some of pictures from the training!
Nicaragua Ahoy!
Marketing Manager Allison recently headed out for an action packed trip to neighboring Nicaragua, hitting may of the top hot spots. After a smooth border crossing, Allison enjoyed the surf and sand at the San Juan del Sur beaches, seeing many of the sites that our surf and semester courses take in. Following some time at the beach, Allison headed over to the spectacular Ometepe Island in the middle of the enormous Lake Nicaragua. After some all day hikes and other extreme activities, the very busy Allison took a boat ride over to historic Granada and enjoyed some lovely festivities in the build for Semana Santa. From there, it was a lovely bus ride back to Costa Rica. Take a look at some of the memories from her trip below.
This horse is enjoying some of Lake Nicaragua's famed waters
This beautiful view from Finca Magdalena says it all
Moyogalpa on Ometepe Island is really looking good here
Teach Me How To Ducky
As many of our former students know, heading down the river in a ducky (inflatable kayak) is one of the most fun ways to enjoy the river. This is exactly what Communications Director Jeff Friend learned on a recent trip to the river with our Tropical Challenge and Leadership groups. Take a look below to see how Jeff fared down the mighty Rio Orosi!
Cool Waterfall Jump & Sunset
Jeff from the Communications Office was recently able to get away and check out some of the lesser known spots at Manuel Antonio. While traveling about with his brother, a chance encounter led to a privately owned property with a sweet waterfall on it. Take a look at the video below to see how the gentlemen handled the challenge.
Although he was able to see some amazing sunsets in Manuel Antonio, this photo atop the Gaia Hotel trumps them all
Lava, Sunburns and Churches
As our spring break courses get underway, so do the trips to the beautiful volcanoes near our base at San Ramon de Tres Rios. Two of the office folks, Allison and Bethany, recently had the opportunity to tag along with Syracuse University to Volcan Irazu and grabbed some awesome pictures. In addition to the volcano, the group headed to some local ruins, as well as the famed Basilica in Cartago. However along with some great pictures, the ladies also brought back some awesome sunburns. Turns out being above the clouds means there’s more sun as well.
Syracuse makes it to the top!
Some of the marketing staff really enjoyed the views
Syracuse in front of the famed Basilica in Cartago
Sweat and Gears
Costa Rica is famed for its wide variety of landscapes and climates, which makes mountain biking here all the more exciting! This past weekend, custom course manager Ryan took a trip to the Sarapaqui region to take part in a 65 km ride throughout the rolling hills of the famed Sarapaqui River. More famous for its whitewater rafting than its mountain biking, the rolling route proved its worth with beautiful views, amazing river crossings and countless picturesque farms. Take a look below at some of the days views!
Also, take a look at the video!
Dive Dive Dive! Leadership & Tropical Challenge Scuba Phase!
The Leadership and Tropical Challenge groups are back from their trip to Bocas del Toro, Panama where they were all working on their Scuba certification. Take a look at some of their pictures below!
With the groups now separated again, the Tropical Challenge folks are doing some climbing and service projects, and the Leadership students are headed out to their surfing phase!
A Little Surfing and a Little Hiking
Sometimes you just need to get away. This is precisely what program director Trey was feeling this weekend and thus made the journey down to the Manuel Antonio base for a weekend of hiking and surfing. Trey is known for his good eye as well as his sense of aesthetics, and therefore is never far from his camera. Take a look at some of the photos below!
Tulin is the location of our service projects, as well as some surfing!
Trey hiked in and saw the Leadership students learning how to use the trapiche
A cool shot of Hernan's kitchen in Piedras Blancas
Many of our students probably recognize this awesome church from the Londres-Rancho Tinamu hike
Even More New Staff Ahoy!
Costa Rica Outward Bound is happy to announce the arrival of Jeff Friend, our new Director of Communications & Marketing. Take a look at his bio below!
Hometown: Eugene, OR (Childhood); Sacramento, CA (later childhood); Los Angeles, CA (adulthood)
MBA & BA in Business Management from University of Phoenix.
Before joining Outward Bound in Costa Rica, Jeff oversaw all communications and marketing efforts (Social Media, PR, Advertising, etc.) for a $50M Staffing & Recruiting firm in the U.S. He is thrilled to be able to continue those efforts for Costa Rica Outward Bound, a company that truly cares about improving the lives of its participants.
From the rich green forests of Oregon to the massive Redwoods in Northern California, and down to the endless summer beaches of Southern California, Jeff was introduced to a wide variety of eco systems along the West Coast. After having the opportunity to live in Fiji in 2003, Jeff discovered a true passion for adventure and culture. He has since traveled throughout the U.S. and Europe, and is eager to discover as many countries in Central and South America as possible! He is also really excited to improve his Spanish speaking skills here in Costa Rica.
