Burke Okrasinski grew up in a family fueled by adventure. She spent many of her formative years exploring the Pacific Northwest with her two older sisters and family dogs. Some of her personal highlights from time outside are her family rafting trips, sailing in college and a three month trek through Patagonia in Chile.
Having personally seen the impact time outdoors has on people including herself she is excited to share those experiences with others through the Rites of Passage Wilderness Programs.
She feels very passionate about the work she does and looks forward to learning from each experience. I am a Southern California beach girl born and raised, so being outside is something I have always enjoyed. I found my niche for working with youth and young adults during my year off between my undergraduate degree in psychology to my masters program.
I worked as an outreach instructor and taught people of all ages about marine biology. I specifically taught tide pool and whale classes. There I was immersed in lower income communities in Los Angeles and saw the need for these people to have access to the outdoors and specifically the ocean. When I looked through social work programs I wanted to choose a school that had an area where I could get experience in outdoor therapy for trauma related issues.
In the end I found the University of Washington. In my free time I enjoy spending time with my two dogs. We day hike on weekends and enjoy long walks in the city parks during the week.
I also played softball during my undergrad so now I play on a slow pitch Sunday softball league. I will be interning at ROP for the remainder of the year and plan on contributing my skills in working with youth, young adults, and their families. I have been working with youth for about six years now and have focused my career goals on trauma.
I hope to fine-tune my existing skills and I look forward to gaining so many more during my internship here at ROP. Nicholas Chmielewski, also known as Nico, was born and raised on the Kitsap and Olympic Peninsulas of Western Washington and has a love for the land and water.
His passion for life and being outdoors led him to study and get his Bachelors of Science in Biology with a major in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation at the University of Washington. Nico has familiarity with nature and experiences on extended wilderness trips. These experiences have given him a confidence and awareness of group and individual needs. He is a treasure trove of experiences and stories that capture the imagination and create excitement and a deepening awareness in all our students on trail.
Coming from his time in the wild, Nico believes that nature immersion is not only important, but vital to our well-being. He passionately practices re-wilding himself and his surroundings because he believes our health relies on us being aware and connected to nature. Those that have worked with Nico say he has a great ability to help others to look closer at the sacredness of the world and that he conducts himself with grace and reverence in nature which his students begin embodying.
Nico is motivated by and receives joy from a sense of servitude to nature. He strives to be a good role-model and mentor for his son and all other young people that he gets to spend time with. He is also excited for learning from and sharing in life-lessons with all who walk with him. Born and raised outside of Chicago, Brien spent the summers of his youth fishing and hiking on trips to the Colorado Rockies.
In the summer of , Brien worked for a summer camp and lead wilderness trips out of the San Juan Islands of Washington. There he learned how wild places, patience, and time had a positive effect on the growth, maturity, and self-reliance of not only the children he kayaked, biked, and hiked with, but also himself.
In his free time you can find him biking, hiking, climbing, surfing, eating veggies, drinking coffee, collecting records, and he usually has his nose in a book. He is excited about joining the Rites of Passage family, and cannot wait to share the wonders of Washington State with the teenagers and young adults that come through the ROP programs. One of my favorite areas of work is diabetes education as I am very passionate about promoting nutritional health and exercise by setting attainable and realistic goals for people to achieve a healthier lifestyle.
I also worked for 4 years as a family support worker where I ran marriage enrichment courses and bereavement support groups for children coming to terms with death or divorce.
After developing a love for teaching, he wanted to combine that with his love of outdoor activities, and has since worked as a soccer coach and snowboard instructor. Stuart is a Wilderness First Responder and is excited to work with Rites of Passage this summer and share his love of the outdoors with others. My name is Alyssa Hartson and I was born and raised in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin high-fives to anyone who can pronounce that on their first try! Of all the amazing activities that I took part in, my favorite was always the 3 day ice climbing camps we offered to teenage students.
Recently, I have returned from McMurdo Station, Antarctica where I spent the austral summer playing with penguins and working as a communications operator for the United States Antarctic Program.
Vanessa comes to ROP having previously worked with adolescents and young adults in crisis and transition. She is incredibly passionate about the outdoors and is dedicated to the field of adventure therapy. She has worked as a counselor and a guide with at-risk youth in wilderness programs and in residential treatment. She has also worked wilderness therapy with young adults in transition. She comes with practice doing casework in a homeless shelter. She has experience working with addiction, trauma, mood disorders, and learning disorders.
Vanessa enjoys mentoring students and helping facilitate change in their lives. She also has a variety of experiences in the outdoors. She has been rock and ice climbing for 8 years, and has worked as a climbing and canyoneering guide. She also loves scuba diving, paddle boarding, caving, snowboarding, cat photos, and electronic music. Maureen grew up in Seattle, hiking around the Cascades with her family. While studying Cultural Anthropology and German at Western Washington University where she graduated with her Bachelors Degree, she dove into outdoor adventures on her own, finding strength and self-assurance through climbing, hiking, and backpacking, and deepening her appreciation for time spent in the wilderness.
Maureen has since lived in Berlin, remote Alaska, a tent in the desert, Fairbanks, and most recently Olympia. She enjoys cooking, gardening, climbing rocks, riding bikes, and walking really far! Tom James comes to us from just down the road. Having spent his entire childhood in the Pacific Northwest, the Olympic National Park was his backdoor playground growing up,.
After working in forestry, going to art school, rambling down to Guatemala and eventually moving to England for a year, Tom returned to his native Washington to pursue journalism and more meaningful work in the outdoors. After getting his Wilderness First Responder certification and spending months learning to lead teams and build trails with the Northwest Youth Corps, Tom took some time to work at a Washington newspaper and build a small house.
An avid rock climber and backpacker, Tom believes strongly in the power of inspiration to change hearts. Tom has a gift of connecting teenagers with experiences that will be inspiring for them and bring about healthy changes. As a mentor, this means Tom pushes himself to listen, and to guide wherever possible by encouraging the compassion, patience and reflection that open us to the possibilities all around. Blessed to grown up within a circle of strong, supportive and creative adults, Tom is thrilled to have the chance to share the wonders of the back country with youngsters going through a time in their lives when they can benefit from it most.
Rachel Allard is a certified therapeutic recreation specialist since Previously she has worked as a wilderness camp counselor, a Girl Scout troop leader, a wilderness ropes course facilitator as well as in the field of adaptive recreation.
In her free time she likes to travel, swim, ride her road bike along all the many Minnesota lakes, and volunteer with various youth organizations. Miles came of age in the Seattle area where his playground was the beaches and mountains of the Pacific Northwest.
He studied Latin American studies at the Evergreen State College, where he had the opportunity to travel, work, and learn abroad. He has worked in the outdoor education field for all of his adult life in roles ranging from climbing instructor, to wilderness expedition leader.
He gained most of his expedition experience guiding youth through the canyons and mountains of the Southwest, and the rainforests of Costa Rica.
Miles also has extensive experience as a school-based social worker supporting marginalized youth. Miles resides in Olympia, Washington where he volunteers for a non-profit that supports homeless youth who want to finish school. In his free time you will find him backcountry snowboarding, rock climbing, or picking his guitar on the back porch. He loves to be outside and loves to share that passion with others.
He has been a wilderness instructor for troubled teenagers in Colorado, a wilderness guide, an outdoor wilderness educator, a snowboard instructor, and a camp counselor in the past years.
A few of his favorite things include rock climbing, snowboarding, traveling, Hiking in the wilderness,connecting with people, listening to and creating music, and eating ice cream. Before taking a private loan, make sure you need it. These loans generally are not as affordable as federal student loans and offer little repayment flexibility. Read these tips before getting a private loan.
Learn more about student loans, and how to identify student loan scams. Ask a real person any government-related question for free. Coastline ROP turns your dreams and aspirations into reality. Our occupational programs get you on a pathway to success. Whether you are pursuing a job or additional education, let Coastline ROP help you aspire to greatness. High school students are encouraged to visit their school's career center and discuss college and career plans with the ROP Career Specialist.
See our list of Career Specialists. American Dental Association Interested in learning about a career in the dental industry? Learn here! Click on a fact sheet, scroll to the bottom of the information and view a short video. Bridges Transitions Help students explore career and education options, then track their progress as they create successful plans.
California CareerZone Start with a self assessment to get to know yourself better. Knowing yourself better can help you choose a satisfying job or occupational field to explore. Career Builder The Internet's largest job search employment site. Search in complete confidentiality and let a Personal Search Agent find jobs for you. To make your training less expensive, you need to employ several practices.
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