Hi, my name is Katie Loughran and I am an Outward Bound Alum. When I was 15 years old, I did a 14-day sailing trip on the coast of Maine that truly impacted my life. A few years later, I was applying to colleges and trying to answer those vague application questions such as: What is the greatest challenge that you have overcome? What are some of your strengths and weaknesses? Granted I only had 17 years of life under my belt, but I kept coming back to my experiences with Outward Bound. As it turns out, every single one of my college essays had to do with my OB course and how it challenged and inspired me. This was all many years ago now, and more and more challenges have come my way. But, each day how I deal with those challenges truly comes from that course back on Hurricane Island.
Over time, what I have realized is that I am not alone in these feelings, there are 1,000’s of Alum that feel the same way I do. It was not until last year, almost 15 years after my course, that I reconnected with Outward Bound. Not as only an Alum, but as an employee in the Bay Area Urban Center. I will never forget pulling up for my interview and seeing that Outward Bound sign, my eyes welled up thinking of how life had come around full circle. Needless to say…I got the job! In both San Francisco and Denver, my position at Outward Bound has been to host various events that bring Alumni together to share that “one of a kind” understanding of what it means to be an OB Alum.
This past Saturday, I took a group of alumni and we hit the trails on Chautauqua Mountain for a nice day hike. We began the hike at a nice pace, conversing about where we were from, where we lived, what we did. We started talking about our OB courses and one of them did an Alaska Semester Course, and, another, a Rocky Mountain Winter Expedition. As we continued on the hike, the terrain became increasingly rocky and the incline became more vertical. Our conversation began to slow down – as the priority became focusing on breathing, and water breaks started to occur more frequent. As all hikes that consist of climbing up a mountain share, getting to the top was the goal. As we continued to discuss our OB experiences, those memories of overcoming challenges and pushing ourselves both bonded us and drove us up the mountain.
Although struggling up a mountain with a handful of strangers can happen anytime or anywhere, having that OB bond was priceless. I am very lucky to have done an Outward Bound Course when I was younger, but am even more grateful to be working and supporting that same life changing organization. Continue to check out the Alumni calendar for events and outings within your area so you can share your story and OB bond.
Blog Contributor: Katie Loughran
Katie Loughran, a San Francisco native that has been in marketing for over 10 years, and still truckin’. Last year, she began her Outward Bound career above the cliffs along the Pacific Ocean at the Bay Area Center, as The Partner and Community Specialist.. After fulfilling the position, she decided to spread her wings and venture to the rocky state of Colorado. Her love of the outdoors through hiking, backpacking, and snowboarding made CO a no brainer. Now living in Denver, she is working on marketing and outreach within the Denver Center and looks forward to exploring this new home both on her own and through Outward Bound.
