Outdoor Ambassador
Interested in becoming an outdoor ambassador for your region? Apply today!
CorpsTHAT strives to create accessible spaces in the outdoors for the Deaf Community. We believe that outdoor recreation is an important and empowering experience; we have seen how having those experiences leads people to support conservation efforts or to enter a career in the outdoor and environmental industry.
Often times the Deaf Community is left out of recreational opportunities due to lack of communication access. We hope to change that with our Outdoor Ambassador Program by hosting more accessible outdoor events and getting more people in the Deaf Community involved in the outdoors!
To see what is going on in your region visit our Events Page.
Meet CorpsTHAT’s 2019 Outdoor Ambassadors!
Nation Capital Region
Katie Clipp
Towson, MD
A senior in her last semester at Towson University, Katie Clipp is excited to be our new Outdoor Ambassador for the National Capitol Region. She has had a love for the outdoors ever since she was a little girl, always exploring and hiking various places; while she has not visited many National Parks her favorite is Shenandoah National Park. One of her favorite spots to hike is Harpers Ferry in West Virginia, she hopes to find many more favorite spots in this position as Outdoor Ambassador.
Midwest Region
Are you interested in becoming an Outdoor Ambassador for this region? Apply today!
Teresa Butel
Minneapolis, MN
(To start spring 2019)
Northeast Region
Sam Bragg
South Portland, ME
Sam has been passionate about the outdoors since a young age, especially coming from a family with strong roots in agriculture and the outdoors. The fact that approximately 90 percent of Maine is forested, which is the highest percentage of any state in the country. This really did contribute to her overall experience of playing in the woods of Maine. She has always lived in an area with at least 3 to 4 acres of property – and her parents always emphasized the importance of playing outdoors and making sure she got her hands and feet dirty from the dirt. To this day, her experience of living in the woods really do contribute to who she is today.
After graduating, she continued her passionate and love for the outdoors by working at different locations – i.e. several different local farms, Green Mountain Lions Camp, Aspen Camp, AmeriCorps, Conservation Corps, etc. Currently, she is enrolled into the Adventure Education Master’s program with Prescott College. While she spends most of the year teaching ASL part time and being a graduate student full time, yet she manages to fit in quick hikes in a local parks or multi-night backpacking trips. She claims that it is rather difficult to pick her favorite place to hike but she enjoys hiking in the White River National Forest particularly the Maroon Bells- Snowmass Wilderness.
Sam is excited to begin as an Outdoor Ambassador for the state of Maine and the states nearby.
As some of you may already know, there is an ongoing dialogue on how to create a diverse and
inclusive outdoor education programs throughout the nation. This is the time to ensure that
outdoor education and recreational programs are accessible for the Deaf community which is
why she is eager to get started as an Outdoor Ambassador!
Amelia Milling
Rochester, NY
Growing up in Chattanooga, TN with a vast forest right in her backyard, Amelia always had the passion for the outdoors.
Currently a student at Rochester Institute of Technology in New York, majoring in Visual Media. Her favorite national parks would be a tie between Yosemite National Park in California, Glacier National Park in Montana, and Chugach State Park in Alaska. During free times, she enjoys making cool arts and motion graphics and taking her dog on long walks (not in the picture). During summer of 2017, she drove across America by herself both ways, stopping for various hikes along the way, camping out of her car, sleeping in the hammock. After making this epic road trip and working at Youth Leadership Camp for two summers, her passion for the outdoors quickly increased so for the next summer she decided to try out backpacking. She started on the Appalachian Trail in Georgia with her father as a practice and then went to backpack on a trail in Alaska by herself. Unfortunately, she had some unexpected incidents, but gratefully, her life was saved by a marvelous dog (see picture), so today she is still alive and able to keep embracing the outdoors. She now has a great passion for encouraging and bringing Deaf individuals to the outdoors together, especially in Rochester!
Southwest Region
Are you interested in becoming an Outdoor Ambassador for this region? Apply today!
West
Laura Schaefer
Auburn, CA
Laura grew up in Auburn, California. This is where she currently spends her time trail running, hiking and biking. She enjoys exploring new trails with friends and sharing her passion for the outdoors with others. Her favorite hike is a sunrise hike to the top of Bishop’s Peak in San Luis Obispo. Laura is thrilled to have the opportunity to work with CorpsTHAT, and is looking forward to bringing more people outside!
Mela Bennet
Auburn, CA
Mela grew up in Northern California but has lived and backpacked in Southern California. She has traveled all over the world. She loves the great outdoors and camps, backpacking, going on hikes, kayaking, archery, and rock climbing. Any thing that is climbable, she will climb it!
Molly Shea
Portland, OR
A love for animals and nature has always brought Molly outdoors. While growing up in Colorado, she was often hiking and kayaking with her family, but it wasn’t until going to school in Northern California at Humboldt State University that she discovered three of her favorite activities –backpacking, birdwatching, and ASL! Since then, Molly has wanted to find a way to connect sign language and environmental education and can’t wait to make that happen as an Outdoor Ambassador with CorpsTHAT. As for her favorite outdoor spaces, she has a special place in her heart for the incredible trees in Redwood National Park and sleeping under the stars at Anza Borrego State Park.
Southeast Region
Are you interested in becoming an Outdoor Ambassador for this region? Apply today!
Want to learn more about our Outdoor Ambassador program?
Send us an email, today!
