Kelsey Davis
Konneker-Cutler Scholar
Outward Bound - Alaska

"My reason for choosing Alaska as my location to visit was to place myself as far out of my realm of comfort as possible.  I had never been given an opportunity to visit this state and there was a great possibility that I would not be allotted one again.  So many aspects of Alaska were unknown to me, making the experience of visiting it at its rawest form completely fascinating.  Taking part in an Outward Bound course allows a person to develop strength in the process of overcoming weaknesses.  I purposely placed myself in a location where I would be at my most vulnerable in hopes of emerging with an immense amount of growth.

I will forever be in debt to Outward Bound for the vast amount of skills and lessons I learned and will put to use in everyday life.  Placed within a group of peers that all are considered leaders within their own communities, I could view various approaches to leadership and their effectiveness.  I believe that the most successful leader is the one that you don’t even know exists. 

Without question, my experience in Alaska was the highlight of my life to this date.  I learned more about myself in eight days than I had in almost eighteen years.  I faced my flaws head on and conquered them; I discovered an immensurable strength within myself that I never knew to have existed previously." 

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