Wilderness Ventures Welcomes New Office Members

By Wilderness Adventures October 25, 2012

WV Welcomes Jordan Jensen and Adrian Croke to the office team.

 

Fantastic environments, inspiring activities, great people, dedicated planning and countless other elements combine to create the magic of a WV adventure. Perhaps no element is more essential than our year-round office staff, who contribute their lives to orchestrating the best and most meaningful summer imaginable for each of our students. This fall, we’re excited to welcome two new members to the WV office here in Jackson Hole.

 

Jordan Jensen joins our office staff to coordinate our international programs. She has led the Grand Teton, Australia Fiji and Fiji Service Adventures, and believes in the power of international travel to foster a sense of global citizenship amongst WV students. Some of her own formative international travel memories include studying photography in Florence, backpacking around Europe, SCUBA diving in tropical waters all over the world and seeing the sun rise over Machu Picchu on her last morning’s hike along the Inca Trail.

 

Jordan grew up in northern Iowa, earned her teaching degree from Minnesota State University, taught art in Minnesota, Utah and Colorado for eight years and recently earned her Master’s Degree in Art Education from Brigham Young University. As an artist, she enjoys print- and book-making. As an educator, she is passionate about the ability of a WV trip to teach team skills by fostering a positive, nurturing atmosphere with each group of students. In her free time, she enjoys biking, hiking, exploring, working on art projects and cooking at altitude.

 

Having grown up in and around New York City, Adrian Croke was first lucky enough to discover the magic of a Wilderness Ventures experience while participating as a student in the Alaska Service Adventure in 2003. After graduating from Friends Seminary in New York City, she applied her passion for the outdoors at Macalester College, where she earned degrees in both English and Environmental Studies. She then served for three years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Gambia, West Africa, where she taught rural villagers about their environment and how to protect it – enacting and implementing sustainable agricultural practices which had strong health and economic benefits for the local  population.

 

As a leader on both the Washington Mountaineering and Pacific Northwest programs, and a kayak specialist on Yellowstone Lake for many of our groups in the area, Adrian has been especially grateful for the opportunity to serve as a positive role model. “WV trips foster teens’ understanding of a bigger picture,” she says, “giving them the ability to appreciate a world much larger than themselves.”

 

This year, Adrian joined the WV office team to coordinate and administer our trips in the Rocky Mountain region. In relocating to Jackson Hole, she is enjoying settling-in to her new apartment, treasure hunting in Jackson’s wonderful second-hand stores, and taking her kayak down the thrilling Snake River.