2009 Leader Profiles

Returning Leaders

Elissa Brown

Elissa had phenomenal experiences leading Berkshire Adventure trips in 2007 and Pacific Coast in 2008.  In 2009, she is super excited to lead the American Challenge.  A native of Palo Alto, California, Elissa is a senior psychology major and environmental studies concentrator at Williams College.  As a Co-President of the Williams Outing Club, Elissa enjoys leading backpacking trips, polar bear swims, and full moon howls. In addition, she is a columnist for The Williams Record, a Varsity Crew rower, and an avid painter/baker.  Before attending Williams, Elissa participated in a one-month backcountry excursion in Wyoming through the National Outdoor Leadership School.  One of her greatest accomplishments is unicycling across the Golden Gate Bridge. Elissa's optimistic, creative and fun approach to life make her a terrific leader.

 Libbey Davis

Libbey grew up in Boston, Massachusetts and is currently a junior history major at Yale University. At school, she is Co-Director of the Freshman Outdoor Orientation Trips. Through this program she leads backpacking trips for incoming freshmen and helps select and train the other leaders. On campus and in the greater New Haven area, she has been involved with several community service endeavors. She heads up Team Recruitment for Relay for Life, a principal fundraiser for the American Cancer Society; she serves on the Board of the New Haven Chapter of Habitat for Humanity; and she tutors and mentors at a local elementary school. In addition, she enjoys playing for the Club Lacrosse team. Before leading for Overland, Libbey spent two summers working as an overnight camp counselor and lifeguard for Concordia Language Villages. She led French language groups, recreational and cultural activities and had the opportunity to work with cabins from several different age groups. In 2008, she had a blast leading Mountains and Sea Adventure, and she can't wait to return to Overland in 2009 to lead Paris to the Sea.

Katie Hagan

Katie grew up in North Brunswick, New Jersey and graduated from Bates College in 2008.  She was a member of the Bates Outing Club, and she led backpacking trips for incoming students for Bates freshmen orientation.  Katie was actively involved with the Bates Biology department as a teaching assistant and peer writing tutor. During the fall of her junior year, Katie studied abroad in India and Nepal.  During her time abroad, Katie backpacked in the Kanchenjunga region of the Himalayas.  In high school, Katie ran cross-country and track and captained her cross-country team during her senior year.  As an Overland student, Katie went on the Appalachian Trail Challenge in 2002 and the Teton Challenge in 2003.  In 2004, she completed a National Outdoors Leadership School backpacking course in Alaska, and in the summer of 2005, Katie traveled to Tanzania, where she volunteered at a health clinic and climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro.  As an Overland leader Katie rocked New England Adventure in 2006, Yellowstone Teton Explorer in 2007, the American Challenge in 2008, and she can't wait to lead Alaska Leadership Course in 2009.

Kiira Heymann

Kiira grew up in Stamford, Connecticut and graduated from Colby College in 2008.  Since graduating in June, Kiira worked as a viticultural intern in the Napa Valley during the fall, and then she moved to New York City, became a certified yoga instructor and is working with School House Kitchen, a small non-profit food education organization, in Brooklyn.  At Colby, she was an English major and Environmental Studies minor.  As a freshman, Kiira studied abroad for a semester in Dijon, France.  At Colby, she led four-day biking, backpacking and snowshoeing excursions for Colby Outdoor Orientation Trips for incoming freshmen.  Inspired by the skills she gained on her Maine Coast Semester that she spent with the Chewonki Foundation during her junior year of high school, Kiira worked on organic farms in Vermont during her summers, and she was a founding member and coordinator of Colby's organic garden.  During the summer of 2005 through the University of Vermont Extension program, Kiira taught at-risk youth the principles of organic farms, and she facilitated workshops that focused on personal growth for these youth.  Kiira was well prepared to lead for Overland as she took a thirty-day Yukon Backpacking Course from the National Outdoor Leadership School in Summer 2004.  During the summer of 2006, Kiira participated in a three-month Summer Australia Semester through NOLS, where she spent a month sea-kayaking, a month backpacking and a month sailing.  Kiira loves working for Overland as it allows her to combine her passion for the outdoors and for working with teenagers.  In 2007, Kiira enthusiastically led Rocky Mountain Explorer, and in 2008, she rocked Alaska Explorer. She is incredibly excited about her upcoming adventures while leading Alpine Challenge in 2009.

Em House

Em is stoked to be back leading for Overland!  Having led Vermont to Montreal, the Summer Writing Program and working support in 2007, she’s raring to lead the European Challenge in 2009.  Em grew up in Delmar, NY and has been tumbling around the outdoors since she could be stuck in a backpack.  She has embarked on summer adventures since she was twelve, including Outward Bound’s month-long backpacking, rock climbing and white water canoeing trip in the Appalachian Mountains, and has since worked as an outdoors adventure leader everywhere from Capitol Reef National Park, Utah to Bear Mountain, Connecticut.  After graduating from high school, Em deferred college for a year and volunteered in Ghana at Misthy Cee’s School for Orphans.  After leaving Ghana, she spent three months traveling through India and Russia.  In the fall of 2005, she began her studies at Wesleyan University, where she will be graduating this spring with a major in Gender Studies and a concentration in Anthropology.  At school, Em is the head of Wesleyan Clinic Escorts (a group that volunteers at Bridgeport’s Women’s Center), a Taiko drumming student and has been deeply involved with campus activism and leading dorm-wide workshops on diversity and social privilege.  She has also been a member of the Outdoor Club and has led orientation trips for incoming freshman through Wesleyan’s WOOT program.  Spending six months of her junior year in New Zealand, Em studied, “tramped” (the Kiwi word for “hiked”) and occasionally climbed mountains with one of her former Overland co-leaders. In 2009, she is excited to be celebrating her college graduation with a European adventure and an awesome group of Overlanders.

Andrew Manton

A native of Portland, Oregon, Andrew returns to Overland for his fourth summer to lead the European Challenge in 2009.  In 2006, Andrew led Yellowstone Teton Explorer; in 2007, he enjoyed one of the best months of his life as he led European Explorer and in 2008, he discovered the meaning of the American Challenge as he biked across America with his group.  An avid hiker and rock climber, Andrew has fallen in love with road biking over the past few years, and he christened his new bike last summer by cruising for three thousand miles with a pack of excellent Overland students. In 2007, Andrew graduated from Pitzer College with honors in Environmental Studies.  While at Pitzer, Andrew was president of the Pitzer Outdoor Adventures Club.  He organized and led freshmen orientation trips, and he led hiking, backpacking and climbing trips nearly every weekend.  Andrew was also president of his dormitory, the manager of the school sound crew, a manager of the campus student center, co-leader of the Student Activities Committee and a member of the Ultimate Frisbee team.  During his junior year, Andrew studied abroad for a semester in Quito, Ecuador.  Before working for Overland, Andrew spent his summers as a counselor at YWCA Camp Westwind, located on 503 acres on the Oregon coast.  Since graduating in 2007, Andrew spent the fall on climbing trips across the Southwest United States and the winter climbing in Thailand and Laos. During the spring of 2008, he was working as an outdoor educator and climbing instructor for Naturalists at Large.  Overland provides Andrew the opportunity to combine two of his passions, exploring the wilderness and working with teenagers.

Byron Meinreth

Byron grew up in Ridgefield, Connecticut and is a senior International Studies and Spanish double major at Colby College.  Byron has always enjoyed working with children and teenagers.  During junior high and high school, Byron assisted teaching weekly lessons for the children's chapel program at his church.  He was also an Instructor and Maintenance Manager at Longshore Sailing School in Westport, Connecticut.  At Colby, Byron was a mentor to a six year-old boy through Colby Cares About Kids. He was also the coordinator for Adults Reading to Children, a program designed to get young school children excited about and interested in reading. This year, Byron is co-director of the Colby Volunteer Center, along with Jess Palffy, another terrific Overland leader.  He also helped lead the Colby mountain biking team to a championship win, toured Argentina with the college chorale and led three-day backpacking excursions for Colby Outdoor Orientation Trips for incoming freshmen. During his junior year, Byron spent five months in Salamanca, Spain studying government and literature, and he loved returning to Spain last summer with his Overland group. Byron works for Overland because he wants to provide the chance for others to enjoy what he's experienced while traveling, in the outdoors and during volunteer work. In 2008, Byron led Language & Exploration Spain, and in 2009, he is psyched to lead the four-week Language & Service Costa Rica program.

Jess Palffy

Jess grew up in Grosse Pointe, Michigan and is a senior government and international studies double major at Colby College. Jess is interested in pursuing a career that advocates youth involvement in community activities, so she loves working for Overland.  Jess's family instilled a love of the outdoors in her as well as a belief that one should be involved in community programs and events. Jess has a lot of experience working with children and young adults as a mentor, lifeguard and coach. At Colby, Jess has promoted the importance of team building with elementary school students through a program called Project TEAM.  In January 2007, Jess taught English, science, and math to elementary and middle school students in Kalimpong, India. As a Co-Director of the Colby Volunteer Center with another excellent Overland leader, Byron Meinerth, she creates, supervises and participates in Colby volunteer programs and activities.  She has led orientation trips for freshmen throughout Maine for COOT.  During the summer of 2007, Jess served as a White House Intern in the Office of the Vice President's photography office. In 2008, Jessica loved leading Berkshire Adventure and Teton Adventure, and in 2009, she is excited to lead Virgin Islands Service, as it combines her passion for outdoor activity and service.

Harris Paseltiner

 Harris grew up on the North Shore of Chicago and graduated from New Trier High School in 2005. Presently, he is a senior double major in Mathematics and Philosophy with a concentration in Leadership Studies at Williams College. Harris spent the past ten summers in outdoor expeditions focused on leadership and team building activities including backpacking, mountaineering and long-distance cycling. As a camper in 2004 and 2005, he completed Overland’s European Challenge and American Challenge. As a leader in 2006, he led New England Adventure, in 2007, he rocked out on Rocky Mountain Explorer and in 2008 he led the Alpine Challenge. He is also a national award-winning concert cellist having performed with three orchestras and with the 15th Street Trio chamber group since age 6. In 2000 and 2005, he played on NPR’s radio program From the Top for classical musicians. He is a guitarist, singer-songwriter and bass vocalist, and he blasts cello through an amplifier in his rock band Darlingside. Last year, Harris was abroad at Exeter College, Oxford University studying Analytic Philosophy, writing poetry, recording tunes and playing gigs. Harris absolutely loves the close-knit group environment of Overland and seeing students discover themselves as supportive leaders. He is incredibly psyched to lead the American Challenge in 2009.

Adam Platz

Adam grew up in Auburn, Maine and graduated from Dartmouth College in 2008 with a degree in Astronomy.  As a sophomore, Adam participated in a ten-week foreign studies program at Universidad Argentina De La Empresa in Buenos Aires, where he lived with a Spanish-speaking family and took courses in Argentine literature, history and art history.  At Dartmouth, Adam was an active member of the Dartmouth Ski Patrol, a student run organization serving the safety needs of the nearby Dartmouth Skiway. Through this program, Adam received certification in Outdoor Emergency Care, Red Cross First Aid and CPR/AED and as an Outdoor Emergency Care Phase 1 instructor. In college, Adam also spent three years volunteering his time as a mentor for the  DREAM Program, working with underprivileged children in Vermont and New Hampshire's upper valley.  In the winter of 2006-2007, Adam interned at the Montshire Museum of Science in Norwich, Vermont where he worked with the education department in the development and implementation of physical science curricula geared towards preschoolers through third graders. After graduation, Adam spent several months living and working in Burlington VT. Currently he is walking his way up to Williamstown from Springer Mountain, GA, as he completes the first two thirds of the Appalachian Trail. He'll finish the rest after working for Overland this summer. In 2007, Adam led New England Explorer, and in 2008, he led Alaska Explorer. He is continually amazed by his Overland students and cannot wait to lead the Alpine Challenge in 2009 .

David Schlichter

David grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, attended John Burroughs School and graduated with honors in 2008 from Washington University in St. Louis with a degree in psychology.  In college, David volunteered for the on-campus emergency response team, tutored underprivileged youth, was an avid cyclist and indoor rock climber and served as President of his fraternity.  Upon graduation, David accepted an offer from Teach For America and is currently teaching 3rd grade in the Denver Public Schools.  David is full of excitement for this upcoming summer--after all, Overland has long played an important role in his life.  A decade ago as an Overland student, David completed the Cape Cod & the Islands and the Pacific Coast biking trips.  The trips had an incredibly powerful impact on him; he loved the adventure, the freedom, and he especially loved his leaders.  He decided after those trips that he would one day return to Overland--this time to lead. In 2005, he led three trips —Cape Cod & the Islands (twice) and Vermont.  In 2006, he was thrilled to lead the Pacific Coast.  In 2007, he was back for more and dominated the American Challenge.  He is elated to return yet again for another adventure in 2009--this time the European Challenge. He can’t wait to lead his group on a bicycle ride they will never forget!

Emily Schulman

Emily grew up in Denver, Colorado and graduated from Carleton College in 2008 with honors in Latin American Studies. While at Carleton, she did her best to escape the Minnesota winters by studying abroad as much as possible. As a sophomore, she spent four months in Puebla, Mexico, first volunteering in an orphanage and then studying at the Universidad de las Américas. During her junior year, she spent eight months studying in Valparaíso, Chile where she carried out an independent research project on the city's contemporary literature and had the chance to go trekking through Patagonia. Winter break of her senior year was spent traveling and doing research throughout Brazil. When she wasn't exploring Latin America, Emily worked as a Writing Assistant at Carleton's writing center and later as a Spanish Teaching Assistant, teaching entry-level Spanish courses. During the spring of her junior year, she interned at a local middle school where she worked with a group of students in the process of writing a historical field guide about the Jesse James Gang. She was also the president of Carleton's chapter of Mortar Board, a national senior honor society, and served as the Student Departmental Assistant for Latin American Studies. Since graduating in June, Emily has been teaching English in Andalucía, Spain, and in the fall, she will begin a Master's program in Latin American Studies at Tulane University. She loves that Overland allows her to share with others the kinds of invaluable and formative experiences she's had while studying and traveling abroad. After an unforgettable first summer with Overland leading Language & Exploration Spain in Barcelona, Emily is excited to be back in 2009 to lead the four-week Language & Service Costa Rica.

Corey Schwitz

Corey is a native of Manalapan, New Jersey and is currently a junior at Bucknell University, where he is a double major in Economics and Political Science with a minor in Spanish. This spring, he is studying Latin American political systems and culture in Buenos Aires and Lima. In the summer of 2005, Corey biked across the country as a student on the American Challenge.  After running into the Pacific with the rest of his group to dip their front wheels, Corey knew that one day he wanted to lead for Overland and provide the same life-changing experience that his leaders had given to him. During the summer of 2006, Corey spent a month mountaineering in the Wind River Range in Wyoming with the National Outdoor Leadership School. In 2007, Corey worked Support for Overland and led Berkshire Adventure, New England Adventure and Summer Writing Program, and in 2008, he led Vermont. At Bucknell, Corey is the head advertising manager for his school's newspaper, has interned at the United Nations, blogs on Bucknell's website about his adventures abroad and is a member of the Microfinance Initiative, raising funds for microloans in underdeveloped countries. He is an avid road biker and skier, and he has memorized the lyrics to nearly every Disney song, a talent that he is not shy to display. Corey fell in love with Overland because it provides students the opportunity to build confidence and leadership, all while having the most incredibly fun summer of their lives. He is super-psyched to lead the Pacific Coast  in 2009.

Scott Zeller

Scott grew up in Newton, Massachusetts and is a senior biology major and mathematics minor at Colby College.  Before working for Overland, Scott was a tennis instructor for students ages 6-15 in Newton and West Roxbury, Massachusetts. During the summer of 2006, Scott traveled to San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua and helped the community by donating books, building preschools and water filters and painting health clinics and murals for schools.  At Colby, Scott is a mentor for a local Waterville child through Colby Cares About Kids, and he has played on the varsity tennis team all four years.  He has led Colby Outdoor Orientation Trips for freshmen for three years.   During his junior fall, Scott studied in Madrid, Spain through Hamilton College. As a Senior Class Representative, he organizes weekly activities for seniors, plans senior week, manages a budget and works with the administration to make events happen on campus. Leading for Overland allows Scott to combine his interests of working with teenagers, serving others and traveling. In 2008, Scott led Language & Exploration Spain, and, in 2009, he can't wait to lead the three-week Language & Service Costa Rica.

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