When we talk about Outdoor Lab's impact, we naturally think of the 5,000 sixth graders who experience the program each year. But what about the 1,000 high school students who serve as leaders? Their stories are just as powerful.

Isabel's story reflects commonalities among this generation of Outdoor Lab High School Leaders. As a sixth grader, she attended Outdoor Lab during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic—a truncated two-day experience with no overnight stay. She didn't realize what she was missing until she returned as a High School Leader her Sophomore year and finally experienced the full magic of Outdoor Lab: the connections, the mentorship, and those bunkhouse moments that forge lasting friendships.

We spoke with Isabel, now a Junior, to hear about her journey from disappointed sixth grader to enthusiastic leader who helped create the very experience for others that she once missed out on.

Tell us about yourself; what school do you go to and what does the outdoors mean to you?

I am a Junior at Chatfield Senior High in Littleton. I'm an outdoorsy person. My family and I ski, hike, and camp nearly every weekend. I've also been competitively rock climbing for 4+ years, as well as doing outdoor climbing with my family! I also love working with kids. I have been babysitting since I was about 11 and participate in many volunteer opportunities working with kids as well, so being a High School Leader at Outdoor Lab is totally my thing!

Obviously Covid-19 was a rough time on everyone but as a 6th grader who missed out on the full Outdoor Lab week, what experiences were you denied that you wished you'd received?

We were all disappointed when we couldn't have the normal Outdoor Lab experience. My school was able to go up for two days with no overnight and, honestly, in many ways, we didn't truly know what we were missing. However, as a High School Leader, getting to see the relationships the kids built, especially in the bunkhouse, showed me the aspect of community we missed out on without that bunkhouse time as well as with general social distancing. I truly saw first hand how much of an impact it had on every kid there and I was so glad to be a part of it.

When the opportunity to become a High School Leader came about, what motivated you to become such an influential mentor for this year's generation of attendees?

Typically, Chatfield only offers the Outdoor Lab opportunity to upper classman, but they were short on volunteers because it took place on prom week, so one of our counselors reached out to the Sophomore class. I was immediately interested even though I didn't know many of the details, so I recruited one of my friends and applied right away. After getting more details and attending lots of meetings about the trip I was excited to have the true Outdoor Lab experience for the first time plus the added role of being a leader.

What was a memorable experience during your time at Outdoor Lab?

I loved hanging out and getting to know the kids all week long, especially being able to truly step into the leadership role and take over from the interns by the end of the week. I could tell the kids really looked up to the High School Leaders, and it was so cool to be that role model for them. 

Also, one of the most impactful parts of the trip was the relationships our group of High School Leaders built both during activities and during our time off. Most of us were actually from Chatfield so it was awesome to connect and still see each other around. A group of us did an awesome hike and explored some rocks together which was one of my favorite parts. Getting to become so close with classmates my age was super special.  Coming back as a leader solidified my appreciation for Outdoor Lab after missing my original trip in sixth grade!

For students like Isabel who missed out on the full experience during the pandemic, returning as a High School Leader offered that second chance to benefit from Outdoor Lab’s transformative experiences while simultaneously creating lasting memories for a new generation of sixth graders. 

Whether it's 5,000 sixth graders or 1,000 High School Leaders, every young person who walks through an Outdoor Lab campus has the chance to pay it forward and that's what makes this program truly special. Learn more about the High School Leader program here.