Lara was raised by two science teachers who instilled a love for education and the outdoors while backpacking and hiking in the mountains of California. She has taught outdoor education in many different contexts, from high ropes courses in Minnesota, to beach exploration in the Puget Sound, and backpacking in Eastern Oregon. She settled in Seattle to complete a MEd from UW through Islandwood’s Education for Environment and Community program. Her passion in life is building community with young people in the outdoors and making space for them to imagine and create the world they want. You’ll often find Lara running, baking, snuggling her cat, and finding beautiful places to play cribbage with her partner.