Note to Employers

2010-02-15T20:04:00.071-05:00

Outdoor education and international adventure programing are my passion. Facilitating educational opportunities for young people in the wilderness or abroad allows for development in leadership, responsibility and is an excellent vehicle to introduce one to global citizenship. It is also a profession that is inherently seasonal so part of the joy is finding opportunities to work in beautiful places. This has allowed me to attain several skills in different professions and occupations. But in every field I have en-devoured in, my most important attributes have been my adaptability, interpersonal skills, self motivation, and customer service.

My experiences stemming from nine years of adventure education, and a lifetime spent outside, have granted me the privilege to travel to the Himalaya, Andes, Amazon, Central American Highlands, the Scandinavian Arctic as well as many of the great regions of America's western and eastern wildernesses. In the course of my travels I have had to adapt to myriad of differences in culture, climate and many other circumstances. I have lead trips involving whitewater rafting, sea-kayaking, rock-climbing, community service, ropes-course work, sailing and scuba diving, and in most cases developed the necessary technical skills quickly and thoroughly through on the job training. I have gone from the some of largest cities on earth to the most remote wildernesses on the planet, and while I am a natural leader I happily work away at simple jobs. One spring I transitioned from leading large groups with several educators under me, to scrubbing the deck and taking orders on board a small trans-Atlantic sailing vessel, to volunteering on a farm in the Norwegian Arctic. I truly believe no task is too big to accomplish nor any position beneath me. Most importantly, anything worth doing is worth doing to its highest potential.

In all professions it remains true that the customer must be treated with care and dignity. This a skill that comes naturally to me as it fits with my view for the care of all people. My customer service experience can be seen with my time at Cold Smoke Photography where I set records for attracting new customers within my first few months, despite a season with few attendants at the resort. As co-manager of Montecito Sequoia's ski shop and retail outfit, I received acknowledgement for excellent customer service. My care for other professional relationships fits this trend as well. As a wilderness instructor I have shared with my coworkers and/or superiors long demanding days and difficult decisions, along with cramped accommodation and ended up forging meaningful and long lasting friendships.

At Montecito Sequoia I also demonstrated my self driven nature by taking initiative in developing improvements to the overall efficiency, and scope of their program. I created new curriculum to add an educational aspect to the activities we offered, created new initiatives for serving large groups much more quickly and effectively, and took time to improve the visual appearance of the work area to name a few. At Naturalist at Large I also developed new lessons and curriculum in varied topics such as dendrochonology, the evolution of flowering plants and practical lessons in primitive fire making.

Across the board being adaptable, and self motivated, while caring for the persons around me, in particular the client or customer, has allowed me to succeed in a variety of positions and places. Technical skills can be learned, and I am a quick learner, but these intrinsic skills are what would make me an excellent fit at any institution.

Matthew G. Lounsbury

Note to Employers