From Rapids to Degrees: Outdoor Adventure as a Pathway to Possibility

Posted on Monday, January 5th, 2026

Most people know Algonquin College’s Outdoor Adventure (ODA) program for what happens on the river, in the backcountry, and along rugged trails. They picture students learning resilience in unpredictable weather, working as teams in demanding conditions, and discovering their capacity for leadership through challenge and experience. What many don’t realize is that this flagship Pembroke Campus program doesn’t just prepare graduates for the outdoors; it also serves as a launchpad, opening doors to university degrees and professional careers students never imagined possible.

Much of this confidence comes from learning in real environments, supported by real industry leaders. For more than 25 years, the ODAprogram has proudly partnered with Wilderness Tours, one of Canada’s premier adventure tourism organizations. This long-standing partnership provides students with exceptional training grounds, mentorship from industry professionals, and opportunities to learn where world-class whitewater and outdoor leadership come to life.

For many learners, ODA is the program that changes how they see themselves. Some come unsure whether college, let alone university, is the right fit. But through hands-on learning, mentorship, and personal growth, ODA builds discipline, maturity, confidence, and purpose. Suddenly, students begin to see education differently. They begin to see themselves differently.

That sense of transformation is exactly what Jayden Spylo describes. After working for two years post-high school, he joined ODA, unsure of the direction his life and education would take. The program gave him adventure, community, and momentum, and ultimately the confidence to continue to Thompson Rivers University (TRU) in British Columbia, where he is now thriving in his degree studies. Jayden says the experience helped him mature, opened doors he never expected, and gave him the self-belief he had never felt in his earlier schooling.

For Victoria Hodgson, ODA was also the beginning of something much bigger. She completed the program in 2020, transferred her credits to TRU, and ultimately completed a Bachelor of General Studies. Along the way, she guided professionally, studied at multiple institutions, and is now completing a post-degree teacher education program at the University of British Columbia. Victoria never imagined ODA would one day lead her to a teaching career with multiple degrees, but she now describes the pathway as life-changing, full of opportunity, movement, curiosity, and choice.

Katie Stetson’s journey shows just how unexpected these pathways can be. She completed ODA, continued to TRU, and there, through a course in legal risk management, discovered a passion for law she never anticipated. Today, she works in civil litigation and also teaches legal courses to the next generation of learners. She credits the ODA-to-TRU pathway with putting her on a professional path she never would have predicted, but one she deeply values.

For Adrian Clementino, ODA provided the ideal balance of hands-on challenge and academic preparation. He completed ODA in 2021 and then went directly to TRU, graduating with a Bachelor of Tourism Management, majoring in Entrepreneurship. Since then, his career has been as adventurous and dynamic as the program itself, from managing a remote accommodations operation on the West Coast to now serving as Club Manager of the Ottawa Rowing Club, where he leads operations, budgeting, events, and staff while still maintaining a personal connection to guiding. Adrian says the combination of ODA and TRU has shaped not only his career opportunities, but also the life he is proud to live today.

Even years later, the impact of ODA continues to ripple through graduates’ lives. Lauren Hammond, who completed ODA in 2006 before continuing at TRU, went on to earn a Bachelor of Social Work and then a Master of Social Work. Her career has included guiding, therapeutic wilderness work, and leadership in youth-focused programs, and she is now exploring how to integrate her expertise in mental health with her deep roots in outdoor experience through adventure-based therapy. She says the ODA–TRU pathway opened professional and academic doors that helped her build a deeply meaningful career — one she never would have anticipated as a young graduate.

Together, these stories share something powerful. Students who once questioned whether higher education was “for them” now speak about thriving at university. Graduates who began in rafts, canoes, and climbing harnesses now speak confidently about advanced degrees, leadership roles, community impact, and professional purpose. ODA did not just prepare them to guide trips; it prepared them to build lives, grounded in capability, belief, and opportunity.

Rooted here in Pembroke and reaching across Canada and beyond, the Outdoor Adventure program remains one of the most uniquely transformative learning experiences in the country. For some students, ODA is the destination. For many others, it becomes the trailhead; the beginning of a journey toward education, careers, and futures they never imagined but are incredibly proud to pursue.

If this story sparks curiosity, you can learn more about the Outdoor Adventure program and what makes it such a powerful, life-shaping experience by visiting algonquincollege.com/pembroke/program/outdoor-adventure. For those wondering what comes next after graduation, explore the many degree pathways available to Algonquin College students, including direct routes to universities across Canada and beyond, at algonquincollege.com/pathways. Whether your dream is to lead, teach, innovate, build community, or continue your studies, the next step may be closer than you think.

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