People

World Challenge is a huge network of people that spans the globe and includes over 200 staff, thousands of local guides, and 60,000+ alumni Challengers (meet them on facebook).

As you prepare for expedition the following staff members are available to give you as much help as you need.  Get in touch any time! Read below to learn more about the people behind the emails.

Katie Lewis: Expedition Consultant, North America

 I grew up in Western Massachusetts, exploring the wetlands and bringing home every reptile and amphibian I could find. I’ve also lived in Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Southern Texas. Growing up, my summers were spent alongside fantastic people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds at an outstanding camp in Central Massachusetts where I eventually became a summer counselor as well as a Challenge Course leader. I graduated from Suffolk University in Boston, MA with a B.S. in Communications.  My home in Massachusetts is shared with my daughter and our many pets (one will outlive me by decades!).  Nature, cultures, people and travel are huge interests of mine which is one of the many reasons I am thrilled to be working at World Challenge. When not working, I can be found reading, fishing, kayaking or enjoying the beautiful outdoors.

 

 

 

 

Gabrielle: Guest Blogger

I am a former Challenger from Sharon High School in Massachusetts, and I was lucky enough to travel to Ecuador for three weeks. When I heard about the trip, immediately I was enticed by the adventure, service aspect, awesome destination, and the challenge! I had traveled a lot before but I had never done anything even close to what this expedition was offering, so I jumped at the opportunity right away. (I texted my parents, “I AM GOING TO ECUADOR WITH WORLD CHALLENGE”, and they responded, “Great! When do you leave?”) Although it was much harder than I expected, I am also much more capable than I thought as well (because who needs showers?). My expedition allowed me to grow as a person more than anything else. (If you are at all motivated, you can do this!) Besides my incredible journey in Ecuador, I have done a lot of traveling with my family and also spent seven weeks on an exchange program in China. When I’m not blogging about my amazing experience with World Challenge or globe trotting, I’m most likely destroying my ear drums by blasting music or already planning out my next adventure in my head!

 

 

 

Sarah: Guest Blogger

I am a native of Radnor High School in Radnor, PA, but strayed far from my usual surroundings to backpack in northern Tanzania with World Challenge in the summer of 2011. I signed up for (and fundraised for) my expedition with the following incentives in mind: experiencing a foreign culture, hiking through different landscapes, and generally expanding my understanding of the world. Seeing a couple giraffes and lions wouldn’t hurt either! I came home feeling more confident in myself and having accomplished all of the above goals, and hoping to share these new accomplishments. In addition to publishing stories and personal advice from my expedition, I like to run track, eat fair-trade chocolate, and stay up too late doing homework.

 

 

 

Marina: Guest Blogger

I’m a former challenger and current tomboy from Franklin High School.  This past summer I headed out to Southern Peru for a month with 10 amazing friends.  Eager to escape suburbia for a month and push myself to the extreme, my immediate response to the opportunity was, “challenge accepted!”. Living up to its name, World Challenge gave me the toughest month of my life thus far, and I came away from it with a special appreciation for foreign cultures and the love for my friends and hot water in the shower.  When I’m not on epic South American adventures, I’m performing in musicals at Franklin School for the Performing Arts or frolicking in Boston with my former WC teammates.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jenny: Guest Blogger

My name is Jenny Sullivan, I grew up in Hingham MA and am a recent graduate of Hingham High School. My sophomore year of high school I signed up for a World Challenge trip to Vietnam because I knew it was an opportunity that I would probably never have again, and I would have kicked myself repeatedly for letting it pass me by. My Challenge trip taught me, above all else, to have confidence at an age when major life changes were taking place. I carried much of what I learned and experienced with me to college, as is evident by my dorm walls covered in Vietnamese silk prints, and I’m sure I will continue to carry it for the rest of my life. Outside of traveling I spend most of my time writing with the hopes of one day having a published novel. I’m a current freshmen at Emerson College in Boston studying Writing, Literature, and Publishing.

 

 

 

 

Tom: Guest Blogger

As former Challenger from Acton-Boxborough Regional HS (Massachusetts), I ventured to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands for a four-week Expedition. My sister (I travel everywhere with her) actually told me about the trip and I was instantly hooked. What’s better than traveling to a foreign, exotic destination, challenging yourself outside your comfort zone, and giving back to a local community in your chosen country? My answer was nothing. My four weeks in country was a once in a lifetime experience. Not only did I get to see giant tortoises and blue-footed boobies, but I also got to form enduring friendships and learn about myself as a person. In addition to traveling to Ecuador, I’ve been able to travel all over the globe, including studying Mandarin Chinese in China (with my sister) for four weeks and venturing to Greece for three weeks.  When I’m not traveling from continent to continent or blogging about my adventures with World Challenge, I’m usually on a soccer pitch training with my brother or figuring out how I can visit all the countries in the world (I’m currently at 23).