Through the eyes of an intern…

Quitting my stable job in Louisiana and moving to Aspen, Colorado, to be an intern with Challenge Aspen, has been the wildest adventure of my life. When I informed my family and friends what I was doing they thought I was crazy, mostly because this was out of character for me. I’m not usually a huge risk taker. Typically, every life decision I make is clearly thought out and calculated. Once I explained to my friends and family what I would be doing and the reason for the sudden change in career path, they were on board!

Being a few months into this internship, I can honestly say this has been the best few months of my life. My favorite part of the internship, along with skiing every day, is all the amazing people I have met and the conversations I have had. The Challenge Aspen team is unique in that everyone comes from various parts of the country and brings different life experiences. I have learned so much and it has been awesome seeing the team approach we take to give participants a great skiing experience!

I have had the pleasure of working with extraordinary participants, making this internship an experience of a lifetime. At first I was scared and did not know what to expect. Teaching a teenager with a visual impairment, assisting a four year old with autism, and helping a nine year old with cerebral palsy all learn to ski are not easy tasks. However, the experiences were ultimately rewarding. Each participant has their own life story and reason for wanting to ski, but most importantly, they were genuinely happy to be skiing. At the end of day, we are all here for the same reason – to ski and have fun together, despite the challenges we face in our daily lives. One participant told me the reason he comes back year after year to ski with Challenge Aspen is because of the amazing people he meets and gets to ski with. Now, I truly understand what he meant.

Overall, it’s the people I have met, the stories I have heard and the memories I’ve made during that make this internship experience amazing! I cannot wait to see what the next few months have in store for me!

Written by: Megan, 2014-2015 Winter Intern

Megan, Winter Intern

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