Staff Update- Day One
Location: West End, Tortola
Today the staff put the final touches on the AQ fleet. The shipmates started arriving in the morning and slowly trickled in. During the day we made the beds in preparation for the shipmates, got the last of our fresh food, and got it all organized on the boat. Everything was lashed on, and the deck is ready for sailing! Tanis Marie is packed and ready for her shipmates to arrive!
Here is an introduction to the crew of Tanis Marie:
Kat-
Kat was born in northern California and grew up sailing with her parents in Mexico and the Caribbean. She has continued to sail throughout her life as a member of the UC San Diego Sailing Team and sailing instructor. The valuable life experiences she has had sailing and living on boats inspired her to share her knowledge of sailing by teaching at ActionQuest. Kat has a bachelors degree in International Studies from UC San Diego. In the offseason, Kat works primarily in the health care industry and will begin her master's degree in nursing at UCLA this coming fall. At ActionQuest, she is an EMT and sailing instructor. Kat loves animals, especially dogs, and in her spare time volunteers for a Pit Bull rescue organization.
Jake-
Born and raised in Ann Arbor, MI, Jake started diving in the Great Lakes region at age 12. In 2006 Jake moved to Winter Park, FL to attend Rollins College, where he worked as a divemaster and dive instructor and earned an A.B. in international relations. A previous shipmate in 2005 and 2006, Jake started working for ActionQuest in 2011.
Kyle-
As a Business and History student at the University of Oregon, Kyle decided to study abroad his Junior year by attending a fall voyage with Sea|mester. Kyle attests that the experience was so life-changing, that soon after graduating he made it his goal to return. In the summer of 2006, Kyle became part of the ActionQuest team as operational staff in the British Virgin Islands, while over the next three years also working for our Lifeworks and Sea|mester programs. During this time, Kyle attained his 200 gross ton Master of Yachts Offshore captains license and his PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor Certification. After taking a year's hiatus working in the field of enrollment services in High Education, Kyle brought his knowledge and passion for experiential education back to our organization and is now running our west coast office in Portland, Oregon as the Director of Enrollment.