Summer Mentor

Alexa grew up in the greater Seattle area and frequently explored the Washington Coast with her family. The sense of wonder and curiosity that she developed as a child is with her to this day. Looking for shore crabs (and other phenomena) will always be a favorite activity of hers. 

After studying Environmental Science at Western Washington University (WWU), Alexa began teaching environmental education around the Sound and the North Cascades for many years. Lately, she has switched gears to support students in local public schools, though she is excited to put her outdoor educator hat back on for another splendid summer with Wild Whatcom.

When she's not working, you can typically find her playing outside with her husband and pup, working in the yard, cooking tasty food, or playing board games.

She/Her/Hers

Summer Mentor

Amaya was raised in the mountains of northern New Mexico and spent much of her childhood outside, soaking up the magic of the desert. She came to Bellingham for college and holds a BA in Environmental Studies, Geographic Information Science, and an MA in Environmental Studies from Western Washington University (WWU).

In her free time Amaya enjoys trail running, camping, and hiking. When she’s not in the outdoors, you can find her painting in her journal, reading about western water politics, or enjoying a good cup of tea. She is excited to spend the summer helping to cultivate a sense of wonder and curiosity among children.

She/Her/Hers

Summer Mentor

Brynn grew up in Spokane, WA where she learned to love the outdoors at summer camp, spending long, hot days paddling on the water and stomping through the woods. She graduated from Western Washington University (WWU) in 2023 with a BA in Environmental Education, and has since spent time working in outdoor education on Orcas Island. She is currently back at WWU earning a teaching endorsement in English Literature.

In her free time she enjoys trivia, collaging, and reading.

She/Her/Hers/They/Them/Theirs

Summer Mentor

Henry is passionate about all things outdoors. This passion led him from Chicago to the beautiful city of Bellingham. Here he studied Recreation Management and Leadership at Western Washington University (WWU). Henry has been working in the outdoor recreational industry for the past 7 years. He has several years of camp experience serving, at both the instructor and supervisor level. His favorite thing about working in recreation is helping others find new paths toward personal outdoor adventure.

He/Him/His

Summer Mentor

Indie grew up in Southeast Alaska, spending time outdoors from the mountains to the sea and developing a love for nature and adventure. After moving to Washington in 2017, she felt at home with the rivers, mountains, and rain of the PNW.  Currently studying Environmental Science at Western Washington University (WWU), she enjoys learning and exploring the connections between people and the environment. Grateful for the experiences she had in the outdoors as a child, she wants to encourage others to develop their own connection to nature. 

You will usually find Indie foraging for edible plants, wandering around forests, or swimming in rivers if she is not studying.

She/Her/Hers

Summer Mentor

Hailing from the flatlands of Illinois, sunsets over lakes and cornfields first sparked Jackie’s love of nature. That love deepened in the Colorado Rockies where she fell in love with mountains through hiking, backpacking, and snowboarding. As a certified yoga and ski instructor and elementary educator, Jackie is passionate about creating diverse pathways for learning through the body and the natural world, curating safe spaces for curiosity, creativity, connection, and belonging. She loves to explore through movement, writing, travel and adventure.

When she’s not in the mountains, you can find her wandering coffee shops, libraries, and art museums, or taking long walks with her dog, Oakley. Jackie is endlessly curious about cycles of growth, transformation, and the ways humans and nature mirror one another.

She/Her/Hers

Summer Mentor

Lightner was born and raised in the hill country of Central Texas, catching minnows in creeks, running from the sun and covering her bare feet in bug spray. While working for a wilderness school one summer she fell in love with teaching: classrooms were made of trees and everything in our natural world became something to learn from.

She is currently pursuing a dual endorsement in Elementary Education (K-8) and Special Education (P-12) at Western Washington University (WWU).  Lightner adores this planet - from harsh Texas plains, through Georgia swamps and California redwoods, to clear blue Washington lakes - it has always been her teacher. She works for it to be all of ours.

She/Her/Hers

Summer Mentor

Growing up on the coast of Maine and spending most his life in the New England woods. Nick found a love for playing outside. Post college he moved out west, spending his time in the central rockies and south eastern Utah desert.

He/Him/His

Summer Mentor

Serena grew up amongst the redwood trees of the Santa Cruz mountains on the central coast of California. She moved to Bellingham in 2017 to attend Western Washington University (WWU), and graduated with her BA in English Literature and a teaching certificate. During the school year, you can find her working in the library of a local high school.

When she's not shelving books or hanging out with the trees, she is usually reading a fantasy novel curled up with her two cats or attending concerts with her husband.

She/Her/Hers

Summer Mentor

Raised in Portland, OR, Tessa attended the Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA, before continuing her way north and landing in Whatcom County in 2010. Tessa is an aspiring homesteader, growing her family, garden, dairy goats and poultry in the foothills of Sumas Mountain, which she shares with an assortment of woodland neighbors including moles, possums, bears, great horned owls, tree frogs, and an occasional skunk. She loves wandering the woods, noticing the patterns of the shifting seasons, and finds both joy and solace in nature’s cyclical rhythms. A longtime educator, her passion is sparking connections between kids and the natural world.

She/Her/Hers