Kayaking
“I was excited to go to class every day because it was relaxed and I learned about things I was really interested in.”
“I just want to say that the passion and love you showed throughout this class was very inspirational. It is people like you that inspire me to travel, learn and grow throughout life. While I have done some traveling I cannot wait to do more and you ignited that love even more. Knowing how much you have done at 23 has made me want to shoot for that too. I hope to encourage others as you have for me. It can be hard to remember to take time to travel and continue to learn about our world throughout college. However, taking this class and learning about your stories and how you learned has set more goals I hope to reach. I appreciate all of the time and effort you put into this class and hope to take more in the future. Thank you!!”
“Overall, the class was a lot of fun to take. There was nothing about the class that I did not like. After taking the class I became a lot more confident in my kayaking skills and knowledge about kayaking. I will definitely recommend this class to anyone who has any kind of interest of kayaking or who just likes to spend time outside.”
Backpacking
“Your mantra, “I refuse to live a life I regret not living” stuck with me SO much. I know this is a quote that you use often and it really is just exactly the kind of energy I needed in my life at that moment. I have been repeating it to myself or reflecting on it whenever I get scared of doing things that are hard for me. I can do hard things and you have been integral in my journey to learning that.”
“I would like to finish off my paper by saying thank you to everyone involved with making this trip happen and especially to the instructors because it helped remind me of why I’m doing what I’m doing. I’ve decided to add on an Outdoor Rec and Education minor and I’m glad to see what kind of wild experiences and crazy learning opportunities it brings me in life.”
“Thank you, Gaby, for such an amazing experience, I am going to take more classes with you and I can’t wait!”
“I deeply enjoy hiking and have always wanted to do overnight backpacking trips but felt I could not because I was hyper focused on the “qualification” side of backpacking. Gaby’s approach to the course as well as going on the trip without being an “expert” helped shatter this perspective and showed me this was not true. I learned that backpacking does have a component of subject matter education and preparation, but it was not the insurmountable task I thought it was.”
“The second key takeaway I got from the backpacking course and trip is the importance of team building. This understanding is at the core of how Gaby teaches the course and paid dividends on our trip. I expected most of our in-class time to be essentially training in how to use equipment and education on safety. While this was a part of our education Gaby dedicated a large amount of time prior to the trip to building up our social connections and making us into a cohesive team of friends. She was successful before the trip, but I think it really took off once we got on the trail. We all felt like close friends who trusted each other and liked being with each other.”
“I want to thank Gaby again as she was an excellent instructor and guided our success. I will absolutely take the lessons I learned on the trip into my future. I am now more confident and willing to go backpacking and understand how important the social aspect is to the success of a team and mission of any kind.”
“I thought it was really easy to learn from Gaby and was really interested in everything she had to share with us. Having good stories and cool experiences truly makes things so much better and having an instructor who's able to share that makes for a good time.”
“The people on this trip made it the most fun. Gaby told us the story of why she thinks group dynamics are so important, and from what I have experienced, Gaby is a professional at creating these cohesive group dynamics. How else would 6 strangers be able to spend 24 hours in the woods together and love each other the whole time? Gaby established a welcoming environment for us to learn in from the get go, and she really emphasized that we respect each other and have fun. Everyone became friends on this trip. I feel that even though the cold made us all suffer, we had fun because we were in good company.”
Rock Climbing
“Gaby as an instructor was incredibly understanding and considerate of our time and bodies, which I think is an important thing for beginners at anything. I have been battling a lot of personal things with finding a job, but Gaby understood and encouraged me to accomplish whatever I needed to do so that rock-climbing never felt like a “chore”. It was very clear that our safety and comfort were her number one priorities for us, and I was grateful to learn from someone who wanted to nurture a healthy learning environment but also understand that this maybe wasn’t our biggest priority.”
“On the first day of classes, I felt very awkward as not many people seemed to want to speak up. You, on the other hand, were very welcoming to everyone and helped to ease the first-day tension by talking with us as if we were friends, not students. This led to us all talking to each other as friends, and breaking down the walls that separated easy communication. This helped IMMENSELY when it got to actual climbing. Being on the wall and having a relationship/trust with the person on belay makes for a much easier, less stressful climb. This also took pressure off of the belayer, as it was mutually understood that we were all simply trying to learn a foreign concept. Without you instructing us as a leader and a friend, rather than a boss, we would have never made the progress we did.”
“I am glad I took this class. This class gave me a mental break from my academics and got me to do something active which was beneficial for my overall health, even though the class is short. The instructor was attentive to students' needs, explaining the class's concepts, and overall, just a great human being.”
Canoeing
“The two weeks and then some that I’ve been able to spend learning about canoeing mechanics and the values of outdoor recreation have reshaped my perspective on canoeing as a sport, as a hobby, and as a way to connect with people and nature. I’m very grateful to have taken this class, and plan to keep the things I’ve learned close to my chest and apply them readily to the rest of my life.”
“Gaby was a great instructor and it was evident she loved and was knowledgeable about what she was teaching. I really enjoyed getting to talk to Gaby while we were canoe buddies on the second day of our weekend trip and learning more about her life and interests.”
“I am thankful for Gaby’s encouragement and patience with me while learning these new skills.”
“I was excited for this course because I am always glad to learn from Gaby. She is extremely knowledgeable and compassionate in a way that many men in the industry could not be. She is capable of the intense skill set men pride themselves in, but has the grace to make beginners comfortable and safe. It is very obvious she cares about the well-being of those around her.”
“I am very grateful that Gaby is an awesome mentor, also friend, for me in PRLS. There’s not a lot of people in the field who do it like her, and also just not a lot of women in general."