Hometown: Tucson, AZ
Year started at GCY: 2014
Grand Canyon Youth
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Hometown: Tucson, AZ
Year started at GCY: 2014
“Nothing is worth more than laughter. It is strength to laugh and to abandon oneself, to be light. Tragedy is the most ridiculous thing.” – Frida Kahlo
Hometown: Shonto, AZ
Year started at GCY: 2007
Stephanie puts her heart and soul into her work with Grand Canyon Youth. With a master’s degree in Climate Change and Solutions, she brings a wealth of knowledge and and understanding with which to engage participants. She enriches each trip with her love of art, cooking, photography and laughing.
“Drink some water”
Hometown: Flagstaff, AZ
Year started at GCY: 2007
Justin did his first trip with GCY as a participant in 2007. They haven’t been able to get rid of him since. River guiding has become his passion, sharing the power of outdoor learning with youth on rivers throughout the desert west. There’s a fair chance you’ll catch him daydreaming about whitewater, reciting obscure movie quotes, or nerding-out over geology.
“I have always been unsatisfied with life as most people live it. Always I want to live more intensely and richly. Why muck and conceal one’s true longings and loves, when by speaking of them one might discover one’s self?” – Everett Ruess
Hometown: Brick, NJ
Year started at GCY: 2006
“All of us get lost in the darkness, dreamers learn to steer by the stars” – Neil Ellwood Peart
Hometown: Flagstaff, AZ
Year started at GCY: 2016
Max grew up doing trips on the San Juan River with his family. Since then he received his Bachelors Degree in Parks and Recreation Management at Northern Arizona University and did his Internship with GCY. He started guiding the next year and now Trip Leads San Juan trips. Originally from Flagstaff, he enjoys getting to share the canyons of the southwest that he grew up experiencing in hopes that future generations have the opportunity for the same experiences.
“Wilderness is not a luxury, but a necessity of the human spirit.” – Edward Abbey
Hometown: Flagstaff, AZ
Year started at GCY: 2009
“We’re all stories, in the end… just make it a good one.” – The Doctor
Hometown: Flagstaff, AZ
Year started at GCY: 2008
Will fell in love with the river on a GCY trip in high school. Since that first trip he has spent the last ten years working with youth in the outdoors and in traditional classroom education. His experiences in Grand Canyon helped lead him to degrees in geology and hydrology as well as time spent rafting around the country and world.
“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”
Hometown: Julian, CA
Year started at GCY: 2014
Cricket was a youth with GCY starting in 2007, as soon as she could she jumped on the oars and quickly knew that she found exactly where she belonged. She calls the canyons and rivers of the desert Southwest her home without hesitation! Cricket is passionate about the Colorado Plateau and how to protect it for future generations to enjoy and wander in. On program she is usually blending in with the youth and coordinating some shenanagains and/or nerding out with the citizen science projects!
“When the pursuit of natural harmony is a shared journey, great heights can be attained.” – Lynn Hill
Hometown: Flagstaff, AZ
Year started at GCY: 2015
Camping, fishing, hiking and mountain climbing captured Bryan’s spirit as a kid. When a camp counselor in Colorado, kid campers suggested he be a science teacher, a path he followed for 40 years, while interweaving outdoor experiential learning and science. His great love is providing similar experiences for kids that he had.
“It’s good if you’re a human being; it’s better when you’re being human”
Hometown: Fair Lawn, NJ
Year started at GCY: 2012
Working as a teacher with kids with special needs for many years, Tony has seen first-hand, time and again, the join and empowerment that comes from connecting youth with nature. He is a natural leader and young people respond to his great energy and love of the river.
“You can’t be unhappy in the middle of a big, beautiful river.” – Jim Harrison
Hometown: Flagstaff, AZ
Year started at GCY: 2005
Tyler Williams maintains a day job as a writer and photographer, with eight guidebooks and over 100 articles in his archive. He has paddled over 300 rivers worldwide, including 30 first descents and several source-to-sea journeys. Between adventures, Tyler lives in Flagstaff, Arizona, with his wife, Lisa.
“I was so relieved to not have my phone this week.”
Hometown: Flagstaff, AZ
Year started at GCY: 2017
Tory has worked in the nonprofit sector for many years as an environmental educator and executive director. Her areas of expertise include fundraising, communications, and project management. Tory holds MFA in Creative Wrting and a MS in Urban Planning, both from University of Arizona. Her first river trip through Grand Canyon at the age of fourteen had a profound and lasting influence on her life, she is thrilled to help provide that experience for others through her work at Grand Canyon Youth.
“To play a wrong note is insignificant; to play without passion is inexcusable.” – Beethoven
Hometown: Napa, CA
Year started at GCY: 2018
Troy is the fall intern at GCY. He is in his final year of school at Northern Arizona University studying Parks and Recreation Management. At NAU, he is on the lacrosse team and has been involved with the school’s Young Life program for three years. He was born in Napa, CA where he spent his entire life until moving to Flagstaff for school. Throughout his life, the outdoors has been a prevalent factor in shaping his career. Being an Eagle Scout, trips of all kinds were very common for him. His favorites include backpacking, camping, mountain biking, and kayaking. After he graduates he plans on going on two month biking trip from Norway to Italy.
“Don’t measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished by your ability” – John Wooden
Hometown: Houston, TX
Year started at GCY: 2016
Jordan joins Grand Canyon Youth after 3 years of living and teaching in the Tetons. While completing Teton Science Schools’ Graduate Program, she expanded her love of outdoor science education and developed a lifelong passion for watching youth flourish in wild places. Jordan believes wild spaces are the best teachers; the greater you understand a place, the greater you will appreciate it!
“Nature is not a place to visit – it is home.” – Gary Snyder
Hometown: Lewiston, ID
Year started at GCY: 2007
Chantal received a degree in Business Management from the University of Idaho and a Nonprofit Executive Leadership Certificate from Arizona State University. She has been facilitating river experiences for over 20 years. Earning her river trips as a young person, she understands firsthand the special connection youth can make with nature and the importance of earning the privilege to spend time on a river adventure. Chantal is passionate about educational and participatory river trips that leave a lasting impression on the lives of each participant.
“Be the person you needed when you were younger” – Ayesha Siddiqui
Hometown: Sierra Vista, AZ
Year started at GCY: 2017
Charlie came to Flagstaff to study Parks and Recreation at Northern Arizona University. While earning his degree he learned about environmental education, inclusion, and the importance of youth in the outdoors. All these things come together at Grand Canyon Youth. Charlie is very proud and excited to join a team that is passionate about making a difference in young people’s lives through scientific exploration in the outdoors.
“I have learned that I still have a lot to learn.” – Maya Angelou
Hometown: Sacramento, CA
Year started at GCY: 2015
Alison comes to Grand Canyon Youth from the wilds of the Intermountain West. She spent most of the past 15 years river guiding and ski patrolling in the great state of Utah with occasional seasons exploring other states and river systems. One summer she spent with her dad floating as much of the Green River as possible. In addition to exploring the rivers of the West, Alison enjoys hiking, biking, gardening and getting to know landscapes. Alison enjoys youth trips because they have the potential to reprogram a person’s brain and change their future. She is very excited to be part of the team creating opportunities for youth.
“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts” – Rachel Carson
Hometown: Prescott, AZ
Year started at GCY: 2018
Sequoyah is a Grand Canyon Youth alumna and grew up in Prescott, AZ. She is currently pursuing her bachelor’s degree at Northern Arizona University in Environmental Sciences. Sequoyah is very excited to be working for Grand Canyon Youth, because Grand Canyon Youth helped foster her love for the outdoors and protecting wild places. She hopes to help pass on this love to future youths, and help take part even further in Grand Canyon Youth’s mission.
“You have brains in your head and feet in your shoes, you can steer yourself in any direction you choose!” – Dr. Seuss
Hometown: Porterville, CA
Year started at GCY: 2016
“If it’s worth doing, then its worth doing right”
Hometown: Flagstaff, AZ
Year started at GCY: 2014
Megan is a Grand Canyon Youth alumna and Flagstaff native. She completed her B.A. in International Relations and Russian Language in the Pacifice Northwest, but quickly returned to her roots in Flagstaff. Under beautiful desert skies, Megan spent several summers guiding for Grand Canyon Youth. She loves fostering an environment where youth break free from societal pressures and labels. Now, she is thrilled to have the opportunity to be a part of Grand Canyon Youth’s mission in a whole new way.
“In this world you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant. For years, I was smart. I recommend pleasant” – Elwood P. Dowd
Hometown: Brea, CA
Year started at GCY: 2016
Caitlin has a love and passion for working with youth in wilderness settings. When she’s not on with river with Grand Canyon Youth, she is guiding backpacking trips in the Grand Canyon or working wilderness therapy for youth in Utah. The desert Southwest and its canyons, rivers and biodiversity are her constant inspiration and she loves sharing that with all who come to visit. She brings fun, laughter, and curiosity to every trip.
Why I Love GCY: GCY is nothing short of magical. It inspires, fosters growth and builds community for everyone who is apart of a GCY experience.
My Bucket List
My Advice to Youth
Grateful For
“Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit.” – Edward Abbey
Hometown: Salt Lake City, UT
Year started at GCY: 2003
After spending many years trying to combine her love of rivers with her enthusiasm for working with young people, Emma found Grand Canyon Youth, an organization that does just that. Emma has a master’s in Social Work from the University of Washington with an emphasis on community development. Her undergraduate studies focused on negotiation, service-learning, and environmental education from the University of Utah. As a parent and foster parent to three girls, Emma loves to be on the river with her family. She worked as a river guide for over ten years and believes in the transformational power of a river trip.
“I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world – This makes planning hard to plan the day.” – ee cummings