EMPOWER: Meet Intern Nayeli
Step 3: EMPOWER!
“The purpose of the EMPOWER program is to provide context for participants to envision life beyond high school and Coombs Outdoors. We provide resources for professional development, access to higher education, consistent mentorship, and more independent outdoor recreation opportunities. After a successful summer season, I am looking forward to how the program will grow and change through the winter. It is exciting to see how this program has kept our high schoolers engaged with the Coombs community and I hope we can continue to build those relationships for years to come. I hope participants leave this program feeling more included in the outdoor industry and empowered to enter the next phase of their lives!”
- Caroline Drayton, EMPOWER Program Manager
Our 2021 EMPOWER Program had:
21 applicants
14 interns
8 partner employers
6 intern workshops and trainings to develop leadership and professional skills
2 nights under the stars on a group camping trip
1 service-learning project
58 high school students skiing and snowboarding in Coombs winter programs
Meet Nayeli, EMPOWER Intern Leading Coombs Campers
Nayeli (17) has been a Coombs participant for five years, skiing, hiking, camping, and exploring Jackson through year-round outdoor programs. This summer, however, looks a little different. As an EMPOWER intern, Nayeli has transitioned from participant to leader, working for Coombs Outdoors as an ACTIVATE camp counselor.
“Last summer, I worked inside and this year I knew I wanted a job where I could spend more time outside and that would help me explore different areas for my future,” she says. As a Coombs intern, Nayeli gets to share the skills she’s developed over the years with the younger kids, hiking, biking, swimming, paddling, and climbing all summer long.
“Being outside with the kids everyday never feels like work,” she says. “I love seeing them get excited about new things and sharing their accomplishments, and it’s really cool to see them look up to us.” Throughout the summer, Nayeli says she’s learned to be creative with problem solving, encouraging kids to keep hiking when they’re tired or helping them get past a scraped knee.
As a participant and now a leader, Nayeli says she’s become more confident going outside on her own outside of programs, hiking to lakes with friends and skiing in the winter with her cousins. “Since Coombs, I’m more willing to take risks,” she says. “I’m more confident that it will be okay even when something doesn’t go the way I want. I learned while skiing that it’s okay to have a complete wipeout, because it’s so worth it to be out there.”