NOLS Lessons ‘In God’s Country’ NOLS Orients Wyoming Catholic College Students to the Great Outdoors By Brian Fabel, NOLS Professional Training Marketing Coordinator and Jenna Helgeson, WMI of NOLS Registrar
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Mount Geikie in the Wind River Range, hands interlocked, singing in perfect harmony. Early morning light on the Sky Pilot blossoms and red boulders of the peak resembles stained glass in a cathedral. In front of the students loom granite spires as far as their eyes can see. Also in front of the students are four years at Wyoming Catholic College (WCC), where they will be involved in rigorous academics, religious studies, and experiential outdoor education and will leave as responsible adults trained to be tomorrow’s leaders. In May 2011, WCC graduated its first class of 30 students, all of whom are NOLS graduates, some multiple times over. NOLS’ relationship with the Lander, Wyo. based four-year college entails providing its students with a three-week expedition as part of their freshman orientation program. Courses focus on the intersection of spirituality and leadership, emphasizing valuable cross-faith lessons such as expedition behavior and equity. To date, NOLS has educated more than 180 incoming WCC freshmen. “My NOLS course was truly the best experience I have had,” reflected Antonio Padilla on his graduation day this spring. “I remember we had to cross a 12,000-foot pass and the group was fading. I helped carry their weight, a satisfaction I hadn’t yet experienced and will not forget.” Antonio, a 2007 and 2010 NOLS/WCC graduate, also used his NOLS skills while working for WCC’s Outdoor Leadership program, leading his fellow students on trips to the Tetons and running the program’s equipment room. Since leaving the WCC Outdoor Leadership program, Lander, and NOLS, Antonio has begun a career in law enforcement, where he expected to apply the skills he learned at both NOLS and WCC. Peter McCullough, also a member of the first graduating class of WCC, sees NOLS affecting his future, as well. “My NOLS course helped me to become a well-rounded person, help run the WCC Outdoor Leadership program, and teach younger classes leadership skills on my trips,” said the three-time NOLS grad. “Someday I would love to become a NOLS instructor.” The WCC founders believe that to instill wonder in their students they must “expose them to what seems more than man, what is grand: a lofty mountain range, vast night skies full of far-distance stars, or an unstoppable storm.” Antonio said his NOLS/WCC experiences opened his eyes to deeper understanding. “I have seen a lot of beautiful things these last four years, and I have learned all philosophy starts in wonder,” remarked Antonio. “It’s hard to wonder in a classroom. But in nature, wonder is all around you.”
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Father Robert Cook, WCC president and primary founder and visionary of the leadership program at WCC, said wonder is just one aspect of the wilderness experience he thought important for his students. “It was thought that if our students could experience a comprehensive and vigorous immersion in the many challenges that over time can lead to real leadership, then we should have the supremely capable and knowledgeable instructors of NOLS lead our students in this effort by a three-week backpacking expedition for all incoming freshmen,” said Cook. “The jump start that WCC’s Students experience true wonder in the wilderness. Photos courtesy of Wyoming Catholic College students get from NOLS is essential and acts as a solid cornerstone for the building of real leaders at WCC for the future.” WCC/NOLS courses are unique because of the goals surrounding spiritual development. Priests participate in each expedition as spiritual instructors who facilitate mass and further foster sense of place. “When you are up on the top of a peak having mass, this is the connection between God and man. It brings your faith down to a level that will carry you after graduation anywhere,” WCC student Caitlyn Milligan reflected. NOLS Curriculum Director John Gookin agrees. “Extended wilderness expeditions are spiritually strengthening, no matter what your belief system, and spiritual strength helps you be a more passionate version of yourself,” he said. NOLS Senior Instructor Jesse Quillian said it was amazing to see the WCC students react to difficult travel days on their NOLS expedition with her. “From the look on their faces to the tone of their voices, they were drawing on a powerful inner strength that I have not seen before,” she reflected. This fall saw the new iteration of that development; 39 new WCC incoming freshmen entered their program, anticipating the chance to develop leadership skills in a place that is truly God’s country.
Consider a wilderness experience for your spiritual group. NOLS Professional Training already works with groups like Fort Washakie Charter School, Albany First United Methodist Church, and St. James Episcopal Church Teva Adventures for Orthodox Jewish Populations to create custom expeditions to meet their goals. To learn more about custom NOLS courses, visit nols.edu/nolspro.