Hess 1

Rachel Hess

Prof. Lawrence

Writing 101

21 October 2014

Since I am interested in nature, interacting with others, and gaining leadership skills, I

decided to profile my friend, Brianna Oehmke, widely known in the outdoor community as Bri.

She is the Staff Development Coordinator of Bloomsburg University’s non-profit outdoor

adventure organization called Quest (, which is located on upper campus.) It/Quest administers

recreational activities and developmental courses such as: rock climbing, ice climbing, zip lining,

kayaking, caving, mountain biking, hiking, backpacking, white water rafting, wilderness first aid,

advanced group leadership training, and high adventure training. I have gathered that (the main

focus of) these programs are designed to encourage team building, inspire and improve

leadership abilities, teach valuable survival skills, inform the community/public of proper

outdoor etiquette (such as LNT: Leave No Trace), and most of all to create memorable

experiences with lasting companions that have fused/come together to express the common

interest and shared admiration for what all of us/we tree huggers call home. (Add thesis here? Or

add as last sentence of next paragraph?)

The/This (easily?) accessible and prized gift of nature/the outdoors gives students an/a

opportunity/reason to get outside, be active, and meet new people in ways other than/besides

going out and partying. Quest is so cool because it enables college students like me, as well as

professors and the community/general public, to afford to go on trips that would normally cost a

fortune outside of the/this organization. (Add thesis here?)

Hess 2

This is Bri’s first semester with a leading role as Staff Development Coordinator for

Quest. She is a Bloomsburg University alumnus that graduated in 2009. When attending, she

started to (pave? paved? create/created her own trail/path?) (her way through/a way into) Quest

by first participating in numerous activities as a freshman and later working her way from the

bottom up into the organization by gaining recognition as a true leader. By the time she reached

her junior and senior year, her hard work and dedication earned her a job in Quest that

incorporated her experience and knowledge of the outdoors and allowed her to lead trips. I plan

to do the same as I continue to take part in future activities with Quest. Bri also acquired an

impressive milestone—being the first to ever lead an extended caving expedition with Quest

which she is scheduled to lead in the next few weeks. Her duties as Staff Development

Coordinator, she says are “To oversee all of the students and make sure that they are trained to

run trips safely.” She has always had a passion for adventure and when asked why she chose this

profession replied with, “I enjoy teaching other people about the outdoors, it makes me happy

seeing other people succeed…and challenging them.” According to Bri, the type of education

needed for her job is, “Outdoor knowledge and experience, an American Mountain Guides

Association (AMGA) Certification.” Specific qualifications and licenses needed to obtain a

position like hers are Wilderness First Responder (WFR), CPR, Child Abuse Clearance,

Criminal Record Check, and Fingerprints. To help her prepare for this unconventional field of

work, she “Did an internship with Outward Bound, which offers outdoor leadership courses, and

Second Nature, which is a wilderness therapy program for young children.” When I asked about

the hours she works, she indicated that “The schedule is never consistent, I work thirteen hours

sometimes. Other days may be eight hours. On weekends, the activities, trips, or courses may be

scheduled for eight hours or require a full weekend.” She is allowed five personal days which

Hess 3

can be used to go on private trips. I asked if her job is ever stressful and she replied by saying,

“…Not stressful, just a lot on my plate, it is hard to find time to do it all. It is a challenge.” Her

job requires a lot of traveling—she inquired that she plans to lead a trip to Bolivia in two years,

as well as to Moab in Utah, the Cascade and Adirondack Mountains, and West Virginia in the

future. She did not have the freedom to choose the location of her job, however, she is lucky that

it is in central Pennsylvania, where she is originally from. When I asked about this further, I

discovered that we share the same origin of growing up in Harrisburg.

I interviewed Bri because not only is she a friend that (is an plays an active role in the

environment, but because she is also a mentor that I (can continually?) look up to.