On August 9, 2024, Sierra Nevada Journeys celebrated its ninth annual Employee Recognition Awards at its Outdoor Education Camp in Portola, CA. More than 60 people attended, including employees and their families from Sacramento, CA, and Reno, NV. The awards honor team members who exemplify our core values — equity forward; commitment to outstanding quality; accountability; respect for each other, ourselves, and our environment; and providing unforgettable experiences — while going above and beyond in their dedication to serving students and customers. The following employees are recognized for their outstanding contributions. We thank them for their dedication and hard work.
Six Employees Honored at 2022 Year-End Celebration
As the season winds down, camp is winterized and programs wrap up for the year, Sierra Nevada Journeys celebrates all the wonderful accomplishments achieved over the past year.
“While we still faced some challenges with the pandemic, our team has been exceptionally diligent in delivering and supporting programs for students. After a year of distance learning, isolation and learning loss, students needed our programs and time in the outdoors more than ever. I’m very proud of all the great work we’ve achieved and I’m honored to recognize six employees who have made a genuine difference,” said Sean Hill, CEO, Sierra Nevada Journeys.
On November 10, 2022, Sierra Nevada Journeys celebrated its seventh annual employee awards event honoring team members who exemplify our core values and went above and beyond in their commitment to serving students and customers. The following employees are recognized for their outstanding contributions. We thank you for your dedication and hard work.
See pictures below of awardees being presented awards by their managers.
Victorina Arvelo, Core Educator
Pictured: Victorina Arvelo, Core Educator and Corrie Calderon, Program Director
Victorina is an outstanding educator, a friendly and supportive coworker, and an asset in promoting equity and inclusion in our programs. She has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the Spanish-speaking community by frequently translating internal documents and communications, translating and creating numerous new program materials, and teaching several programs entirely in Spanish at schools with language immersion programs. Based on teacher feedback, the experience of having Victorina teach their classes in students’ native language resulted in students being much more engaged in science curricula and empowered in their identities.
Pictured: Kyle Burke, Kitchen Manager and Elda Perez Amaya, Kitchen Cook
Elda Perez Amaya, Kitchen Cook
Elda is recognized for her commitment to excellence and her loyalty to Sierra Nevada Journeys.
During the 2022 season, the kitchen went through big changes. Elda stepped up to take on more responsibilities and remained committed to our service of students and staff — all while implementing our mission to serve others. When times are challenging, people either quit or rise as leaders. Elda chose to rise and be a leader.
Spencer Bocks, Outdoor Program Instructor
Spencer has the ability to create rapport with participants of seemingly any age or background. He seamlessly transitions from school groups to community groups to camp and back with ease. The quality of the experiences Spencer facilitates for students, has been top tier. He strives daily to create that for every group.
Pictured: Spencer Bocks, Outdoor Program Instructor and Andy Stephens, Program Director
Pictured: Anna Moragne, Lead Outdoor Program Instructor and Krissy McGill, Residential Director of Education
Anna Moragne, Lead Outdoor Program Instructor
Anna stepped into the Lead Outdoor Program Instructor role late in the season and absolutely knocked it out of the park. Her gentle leadership is calm, yet palpable and she strives to think ahead in all aspects of programming to support staff and students.
Pictured: Alyssa Wagner, Program Director and Amanda Mulholland, Afterschool Coordinator
Amanda Mulholland, Afterschool Coordinator
Amanda always goes above and beyond and embodies Sierra Nevada Journeys’ accountability core value. She always says what she will do and follows through on it. Amanda supports others around her and regularly helps out her colleagues by always volunteering to lend a hand. Amanda is an integral part of Sierra Nevada Journeys and she makes our students feel cared for and is such a wonderful team mate.
Pictured: Kelsey Streeby, Bookkeeper and Ward Fansler, Finance Director
Kelsey Streeby, Bookkeeper
Kelsey has been Wonder Woman when it comes to supporting the grant reimbursement reporting that have included hundreds and hundreds of supporting documents downloaded and cross-referenced to the general ledger. During the staff transition in Advancement, she took on data input in the donor database, preparing thank you letters and other organization functions to help the fundraising process. Kelsey is never without a helping hand whenever there is something to be done, like taking it upon herself to make sure breakfast was available to Alyssa’s team cleaning out the basement storage in Reno one early morning. She is very skilled at working with vendors and staff to solve problems and provide and get answers. We are grateful she chose Sierra Nevada Journeys to share her talents and enthusiasm!
2021 Q.A.R.E. Awards Recipients
Honoring Excellence at Sierra Nevada Journeys
On November 14, 2021, Sierra Nevada Journeys celebrated its sixth annual Q.A.R.E. (Quality. Accountability. Respect. Unique Experiences.) awards honoring team members that exemplify our four core values. It has been exceptionally challenging times to deliver programs during the COVID-19 pandemic; the following six employees are recognized for their outstanding contributions. We thank you for your dedication and hard work.
Left to right: Sarah Bruihler, Kaitlyn Langan, Eaton Dunkelberger, Alyssa Wagner, Travis Wilson, Juan Arriaga and Will McKie
Pictured: Sarah Bruihler and Eaton Dunkelberger
Quality: Sarah Bruihler, Lead Outdoor Program Instructor, Grizzly Creek Ranch
Sarah continually demonstrates our commitment to excellence and stepped up to lead a successful 2021 summer camp program. She thoughtful strive to improve all aspects of program and camp culture through positive actions. Sarah recently completed two seasons with Sierra Nevada Journeys and looks forward to 2022. She studied geology in college and enjoys sharing her knowledge with campers about all the different types of rock formations found throughout Grizzly Creek Ranch.
Pictured: Alyssa Wagner, Eaton Dunkelberger and Kaitlyn Langan
Accountability: Alyssa Wagner, Program Director, and Kaitlyn Langan, Core Educator, Reno
This mighty duo teaches students and leads Classrooms Unleashed programs in Northern Nevada.
Alyssa has been a superwoman this past year, juggling a hectic fall season, successfully hiring and training employees during a challenging year, and a handles a demanding teaching schedule – all while being a supportive manager to the Reno team.
Kaitlyn makes incredible connections with the students and shows up every day ready to deliver incredible programming. She volunteers for any outreach opportunities that come up and has been a valuable contributor to Virtual STEM Lesson at a time when distance learning was their only option to gain access to Sierra Nevada Journeys’ valuable STEM programming.
Pictured: Eaton Dunkelberger, Will McKie and the cutest little baby ever
Respect: Will McKie, Operations, Grizzly Creek Ranch
Will regularly checks in to see if there is anything else he can do to help beyond his normal day-to-day duties. He always works hard to build the feelings of trust, safety, and wellbeing for all staff and guests. Because of his approachable and welcoming nature, Will easily bridges the gap between operations and program teams.
Pictured: Travis Wilson, Eaton Dunkelberger and Juan Arriaga
Experiences: Travis Wilson, Outdoor Program Instructor and Juan Arriaga, Outdoor Program Instructor, Grizzly Creek Ranch
When it comes to delivering unique experiences, these two OPIs knock it out of the park (or in our case, the camp).
Travis brings a thoughtful perspective on inclusion and equity that has positively impacted Sierra Nevada Journeys and our students. He goes above and beyond to share his wealth of experience with other instructors and leads by example. Travis recently led programming for the “Today I’m Brave Camp” and built memorable experiences for the youth who attended this unique experiential camp.
Juan has perfected the art of meeting his students where they are – placing the individual learner at the center of the learning process and build upon their strengths from there. He embraces each person’s uniqueness with a warm and welcoming approach. Recently, at the Today I’m Brave Camp and Rotary Eighth Grade Leadership (REGL) program, Juan immediately made strong connections with the teens through his honest, approachable and a consistent presence.
Here’s what we strive to achieve each and every day through our core values:
We are committed to outstanding quality (Q)
We strive to improve through rigorous evaluations of our actions.
We flexibly embrace change that makes our programs and operations better.
We celebrate actions that demonstrate our commitment to excellence.
We are accountable (A)
We do what we say we'll do for each other and for our stakeholders.
At all levels of our team, we set, commit to, and reach specific goals.
We respect each other and ourselves (R)
We foster a respectful work environment by using supportive actions and words to positively impact our teammates and ensuring our co-workers do the same.
We work to understand the goals and challenges of our team, participants, and donors, and integrate these considerations into our actions.
We believe that a diverse set of backgrounds and skills adds value to our organization.
We provide unforgettable experiences (E)
We keep participants' safety, education and experience at the forefront of our actions.
We recognize the uniqueness of our experience for our participants, and show up each day ready to deliver.
2019 Q.A.R.E. Awards Recipients
Honoring Excellence at Sierra Nevada Journeys
On Nov. 10, we celebrated our fifth annual Q.A.R.E. (Quality. Accountability. Respect. Unique Experiences.) awards honoring team members that exemplify our four core values. With more than 80 employees at Sierra Nevada Journeys, it is a great honor to recognize the following four employees for their outstanding contributions.
Pictured: Mickie Tang and Eaton Dunkelberger
Quality: Mickie Tang, Part-Time Educator, Sacramento Classrooms Unleashed
Mickie has been with us for three years as an educator in Sacramento where she advocates for high-quality teaching and learning. She continually seeks improvement in her own teaching abilities and proactively improves program content. As a leader on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, Mickie brings a thoughtful, critical perspective on inclusion and equity that has positively impacted Sierra Nevada Journeys.
Pictured: Hilda Valencia and Eaton Dunkelberger
Accountability: Hilda Valencia, Cook, Grizzly Creek Ranch
Hilda has been with our team for two years and started as a dishwasher; she quickly took on more responsibilities and became a cook preparing nutritional meals for hundreds of campers each week. Hilda always is the first to arrive and leads by example. She is hardworking, dedicated and committed to quality food service for our guests.
Pictured: Lauren Rangel-Fridman and Eaton Dunkelberger
Respect: Lauren Rangel-Friedman, Residential Outdoor Science Instructor, Grizzly Creek Ranch
Lauren joined the team in February 2019, as one of 14 ROSIs at Grizzly Creek Ranch and quickly proved to be a valuable team member by fine-tuning class lessons to meet the unique needs of each incoming group of students. They made a bracelet for every participant as a take-home reminder of the community agreement that each student commits to at the beginning of camp. Additionally, Lauren created new activities for students to further grow Sierra Nevada Journeys’ programs.
Pictured: Mackenzie Kohler and Eaton Dunkelberger
Experiences: Mackenzie Kohler, Part-Time Educator, Reno Classrooms Unleashed
Mackenzie started with Sierra Nevada Journeys as a summer camp counselor and worked her way up to part-time educator. She proactively assists her colleagues and volunteers to pitch in whenever needed. Mackenzie regularly observes other programs and instructors to continually grow her teaching skills. She takes initiative to plan training and educator meetings, which spark collaboration among her colleagues.
Here’s what we strive to achieve each and every day through our core values:
We are committed to outstanding quality (Q)
We strive to improve through rigorous evaluations of our actions
We flexibly embrace change that makes our programs and operations better
We celebrate actions that demonstrate our commitment to excellence
We are accountable (A)
We do what we say we'll do for each other and for our stakeholders
At all levels of our team, we set, commit to, and reach specific goals
We respect each other and ourselves (R)
We foster a respectful work environment by using supportive actions and words to positively impact our teammates and ensuring our co-workers do the same
We work to understand the goals and challenges of our team, participants, and donors, and integrate these considerations into our actions
We believe that a diverse set of backgrounds and skills adds value to our organization
We provide unforgettable experiences (E)
We keep participants' safety, education and experience at the forefront of our actions
We recognize the uniqueness of our experience for our participants, and show up each day ready to deliver
Congratulations to 2018 Q.A.R.E. Award Recipients
On Nov. 4, we celebrated our fourth annual Q.A.R.E. (Quality. Accountability. Respect. Unique Experiences.) awards honoring team members that exemplify our four core values. The festivities were held at Grand Sierra Resort’s bowling center with pizza and bowling. New this year was the addition of a fifth category, volunteer award, recognizing individuals who support Sierra Nevada Journeys with their volunteerism. See all the photos from the evening on our photo site.
Pictured: Corrie Calderon and Eaton Dunkelberger
Quality. Corrie Calderon, Part-Time Educator, started her career here as a field intern, was promoted to Field Educator, and then to Part Time Educator for her outstanding work with science and education with our program participants. During her time here, she has grown in her teaching skills and is passionate for the work she does with us. Corrie comes to every meeting prepared, takes copious notes, and implements changes and suggestions into her practice in the classroom and field. Additionally, she facilitates discussions with ease, follows up with student responses with poise, understanding, and pushes them to think critically.
Pictured: Kayla Reeser and Eaton Dunkelberger
Accountability. Kayla Reeser, Core Educator, always gives 110 percent. She is flexible meeting the demands of the schedule in Sacramento’s programming. Also, she was diligent about going above and beyond the day-to-day role of her job by hosting visiting ROSIs at her house; often stayed late to help with programing and scheduling; lead multiple staff trainings and mentored new staff. Kay helped make this season a success.
Pictured (missing) Mario Andres Hernandez and Eaton Dunkelberger
Respect. Mario Andres Hernandez, Grizzly Creek Ranch Cook, is one of our most stellar employees. He is dedicated to our mission he makes each and every shift for which he is scheduled. Mario brings a strong sense of purpose with him and is rock-solid in performance. His unwavering work ethic brings consistency and high-quality meals for our guests. Also, Mario creates a positive work environment, is collaborative and substantially contributes to the team efficiency and effectiveness. Most importantly, he is a terrific cook!
Pictured Chauncy Foster and Eaton Dunkelberger
Unique Experiences. Chauncey Foster, Residential Outdoor Science, gives every student that visited Grizzly Creek Ranch, a unique and memorable experience. He regularly sings songs to lighten the spirits of the kids, has random bursts of high energy and connects with each student. The kids leave having gained something more for their experiences with Chauncey than when they arrived at camp. He has excelled with a constant growth mindset and a level of positivity that consistently lifts his colleagues. We appreciate Chauncey for his great energy that he brings to work every day.
Picture Marlys Pryor and Eaton Dunkelberger
Volunteer. Marlys Pryor is the epitome of a dedicated, invested and caring community volunteer. Marlys is highly trusted in any role at our Family Science Nights — even lead educator. She is reliable and is a great STEM advocate in her varied roles as a volunteer in our community. Additionally, she regularly brings community organizations for partnership with Sierra Nevada Journeys. We are lucky to have Marlys on our team.
And if you’re wondering what attributes comprise our core values, here’s what we strive to achieve each and every day:
We are committed to outstanding quality (Q)
We strive to improve through rigorous evaluations of our actions
We flexibly embrace change that makes our programs and operations better
We celebrate actions that demonstrate our commitment to excellence
We are accountable (A)
We do what we say we'll do for each other and for our stakeholders
At all levels of our team, we set, commit to, and reach specific goals
We respect each other and ourselves (R)
We foster a respectful work environment by using supportive actions and words to positively impact our teammates and ensuring our co-workers do the same
We work to understand the goals and challenges of our team, participants, and donors, and integrate these considerations into our actions
We believe that a diverse set of backgrounds and skills adds value to our organization
We provide unforgettable experiences (E)
We keep participants' safety, education and experience at the forefront of our actions
We recognize the uniqueness of our experience for our participants, and show up each day ready to deliver