Outdoor Leadership Student Spotlight: Ruby Rivas
by Vicki Heisser |
For Ruby Rivas, choosing Outdoor Leadership wasn’t about deciding between a practical career
and something she loves. She found a way to do both.
Ruby grew up in Juneau and wanted to stay in Alaska for college. She is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology through the University of Alaska Anchorage while completing her Outdoor Leadership degree at Prince William Sound College.
She describes kinesiology as her practical side and Outdoor Leadership as her passion.
“I knew that I wanted to follow my passion, but also do something that’s more reasonable,” Ruby said.
The combination makes sense for Ruby. She has spent much of her life around the outdoors, but she wanted to better understand the human side of movement, the body and physical performance through kinesiology while building the technical, leadership and guiding skills that come with Outdoor Leadership.
She discovered PWSC’s Outdoor Leadership program through social media and was drawn to the opportunity to learn so many different skills in one place instead of having to search out separate courses and certifications.
“I think, really, being able to do everything that I’ve wanted to do, all in one program and all in two years,” she said. “It’s been really accessible.”
Those skills have included glacier travel, ice climbing, backpacking and other field experiences. But Ruby said some of her biggest challenges have not been physical.
Growing up in Juneau, she has been around outdoor activities for much of her life. The harder part has been learning how to work with people, lead a group and navigate the mental side of being responsible for others.
“I think learning Ben’s way and learning how to work with people, doing it as one big group, has been something that’s been more challenging for me, but also super... has a lot of growth through that.”
That growth happens on the trips, but it also happens afterward during the program’s debriefs.
Students talk about what went well, what could have gone better, what they learned and how they functioned as a group. They also learn how to give and receive constructive feedback.
For Ruby, that can be challenging because leadership requires being open to hearing things about yourself and being willing to make changes.
A major part of that is expedition behavior, or EB, a philosophy used throughout the Outdoor Leadership program that emphasizes respect for yourself and others and creating a positive environment, even when people are tired, frustrated or uncomfortable.
Ruby has also experienced that responsibility outside of PWSC.
This summer was her second year working as a glacier guide with TEMSCO Helicopters in Juneau, guiding visitors on the Mendenhall Glacier. This year she stepped into a lead guide role, giving her another opportunity to learn what it means to lead a team and make decisions while working with people from all over the world.
Her recent PWSC field experience brought another challenge. During a five-day trip near McCarthy, Ruby and her classmates traveled across the Kennicott Glacier, Donoho Glacier and Root Glacier. Her favorite day was a roughly 12-hour crossing of the Kennicott Glacier.
She especially enjoyed the route finding.
But route finding takes on a different weight when you are leading a group.
“If you make a wrong turn, then you have to go back and possibly redo a whole entire hour of your day,” Ruby said.
The group navigated the glacier, crossed rivers and even built small rock bridges before finally reaching camp around 9 p.m. After dinner, they still had one more important part of the day: debriefing.
For Ruby, those long days and difficult moments are where much of the real learning happens.
She also draws on her own experience with setbacks. After tearing her ACL several years ago and reinjuring her meniscus earlier this year, she knows what it feels like to be unable to do the activities she loves.
Running, hiking and climbing are things she doesn't take for granted.
That experience has given her another kind of determination.
When she doesn't feel like running or getting outside, she remembers what it was like when she couldn't.
“You’ve been to that place where you can’t,” she said. “So yeah, that’s what carries me through.”
For Ruby, Outdoor Leadership is giving her more than technical outdoor skills. She is learning how to lead, communicate, accept feedback, work through difficult situations, and be part of a strong team.
And she is building those skills alongside a degree that will give her another path forward.
Two different areas of study. One that makes practical sense. One that she is passionate about.
For Ruby, they fit together.
Ruby grew up in Juneau and wanted to stay in Alaska for college. She is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology through the University of Alaska Anchorage while completing her Outdoor Leadership degree at Prince William Sound College.
She describes kinesiology as her practical side and Outdoor Leadership as her passion.
“I knew that I wanted to follow my passion, but also do something that’s more reasonable,” Ruby said.
The combination makes sense for Ruby. She has spent much of her life around the outdoors, but she wanted to better understand the human side of movement, the body and physical performance through kinesiology while building the technical, leadership and guiding skills that come with Outdoor Leadership.
She discovered PWSC’s Outdoor Leadership program through social media and was drawn to the opportunity to learn so many different skills in one place instead of having to search out separate courses and certifications.
“I think, really, being able to do everything that I’ve wanted to do, all in one program and all in two years,” she said. “It’s been really accessible.”
Those skills have included glacier travel, ice climbing, backpacking and other field experiences. But Ruby said some of her biggest challenges have not been physical.
Growing up in Juneau, she has been around outdoor activities for much of her life. The harder part has been learning how to work with people, lead a group and navigate the mental side of being responsible for others.
“I think learning Ben’s way and learning how to work with people, doing it as one big group, has been something that’s been more challenging for me, but also super... has a lot of growth through that.”
That growth happens on the trips, but it also happens afterward during the program’s debriefs.
Students talk about what went well, what could have gone better, what they learned and how they functioned as a group. They also learn how to give and receive constructive feedback.
For Ruby, that can be challenging because leadership requires being open to hearing things about yourself and being willing to make changes.
A major part of that is expedition behavior, or EB, a philosophy used throughout the Outdoor Leadership program that emphasizes respect for yourself and others and creating a positive environment, even when people are tired, frustrated or uncomfortable.
Ruby has also experienced that responsibility outside of PWSC.
This summer was her second year working as a glacier guide with TEMSCO Helicopters in Juneau, guiding visitors on the Mendenhall Glacier. This year she stepped into a lead guide role, giving her another opportunity to learn what it means to lead a team and make decisions while working with people from all over the world.
Her recent PWSC field experience brought another challenge. During a five-day trip near McCarthy, Ruby and her classmates traveled across the Kennicott Glacier, Donoho Glacier and Root Glacier. Her favorite day was a roughly 12-hour crossing of the Kennicott Glacier.
She especially enjoyed the route finding.
But route finding takes on a different weight when you are leading a group.
“If you make a wrong turn, then you have to go back and possibly redo a whole entire hour of your day,” Ruby said.
The group navigated the glacier, crossed rivers and even built small rock bridges before finally reaching camp around 9 p.m. After dinner, they still had one more important part of the day: debriefing.
For Ruby, those long days and difficult moments are where much of the real learning happens.
She also draws on her own experience with setbacks. After tearing her ACL several years ago and reinjuring her meniscus earlier this year, she knows what it feels like to be unable to do the activities she loves.
Running, hiking and climbing are things she doesn't take for granted.
That experience has given her another kind of determination.
When she doesn't feel like running or getting outside, she remembers what it was like when she couldn't.
“You’ve been to that place where you can’t,” she said. “So yeah, that’s what carries me through.”
For Ruby, Outdoor Leadership is giving her more than technical outdoor skills. She is learning how to lead, communicate, accept feedback, work through difficult situations, and be part of a strong team.
And she is building those skills alongside a degree that will give her another path forward.
Two different areas of study. One that makes practical sense. One that she is passionate about.
For Ruby, they fit together.