Meet Andrea!
Andrea’s journey with Power To Be started in 2014 as a practicum student in Vancouver while in Capilano University’s Outdoor Recreation Management program. After being introduced to Power To Be by a friend, Andrea completed her practicum, fell in love with the work, and started as a casual staff. Since then Andrea has worked as a Program Facilitator, has managed the OA program, and is now one of Vancouver’s Community Development Coordinators and a mentor for many who have been a part of Power To Be.
While at work, Andrea is fuelled by the opportunity to connect with others, and nature provides the setting to do just that. Andrea is an acute observer who absorbs and makes decisions that positively impact the people and situations around her. She is an individual who has a desire to see action make an impact, and her education and experience as an AOG-certified kayak guide and 90 Hour and Mental Health Wilderness First Aider helps her bring knowledge, support, and positive energy to any program. She loves the ability to be on the water that kayaking provides, the team effort that TrailRider programs present, and the connection experienced with one’s body while snowshoeing, practicing yoga, cycling to and from work, or swimming in any body of water she can find. When Andrea isn’t out in nature at work or in her personal time, you can find her skateboarding, baking delicious sourdough bread, reading, or writing letters to pen pals around the world.
This spring, Andrea will be embarking on a year-long sabbatical from Power To Be. She felt a need to disrupt her daily norm and provide herself with a blank slate for experience and adventure. She has chosen something challenging, rewarding, and unsurprisingly, based in nature; the Pacific Crest Trail, a 4,270km long trail that will take Andrea from the southern terminus of the U.S. all the way back home to Canada through California, Oregon, and Washington. After approximately 5 months of hiking, she will spend some time traveling through South America.
Thanks for all that you bring to Power To Be, Andrea!