After finishing my last season in Yellowstone in the summer of 2000, I began working at a wilderness camp for at-risk youth in both North Carolina and Florida. That experience led me to graduate school in South Carolina, where I pursued training in teaching students with special needs.

After graduating, I taught in Connecticut and later on the Navajo reservation in Arizona. While in Arizona, I heard about a ministry program that led me to volunteer with a L’Arche community in England, where I lived alongside and supported adults with developmental disabilities.

That connection eventually brought me to L’Arche USA, where I began working in a community in Cleveland, Ohio—where I have now lived for the past 12.5 years. It was there that I met my husband. I later earned my certification as a nursing assistant and have worked in home health care since.

I introduced my husband to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks in June 2023, and we have made annual trips ever since.

My time working in the parks deeply shaped me. I discovered a deeper love for the outdoors, which led me to change my major to outdoor recreation and resource interpretation. I spent three summers working with the National Park Service, and through my time with ACMNP, I realized I was called to work in roles where building relationships is at the heart of the work.

Heather H. — Yellowstone & Everglades, Summers 1996–2000; Winter 1999–2000