A Grad’s Journey

Posted on Monday, July 7th, 2014

It’s one thing to hear about a program from a recruiter, a Guidance Counsellor or your parents – it’s another thing to explore the post-grad journey of an alumnus who has actually taken the program that you are interested in!

Life's a Journey

At the Waterfront Campus, we love to keep tabs on our grads and to hear from our alumni. Matt Van Nus, Algonquin alumnus, recently shared some of his thoughts on the Outdoor Adventure and Outdoor Adventure Naturalist programs and all his accomplishments in the last ten years since he moved on from Algonquin College. Matt’s story is unique in that he graduated from the ODAN program in 2005 and immediately jumped into the ODA program – I say unique, but not totally unheard-of. Alumni Kayaking

Matt’s first stepping stone was working as a Rafting Guide for Wilderness Tours before having the opportunity to move-up to Assistant Trip Leader, working mostly on family trips cruising the Ottawa River. In August of 2007, Matt and his wife Caitlin, a graduate of the Practical Nursing program, moved to Port Sydney to work for Ontario Pioneer Camp as a lead in the Outdoor Education Centre. After four years, Matt worked his way up to Senior Instructor and built on the certifications that he earned with the ODA program, most notable Level 2 ACCT High Ropes Instructor!

Alumni, Rock climbing In 2011, Matt had the opportunity to flex his climbing skills and to put his forestry and flora knowledge to good use working for an arborist company. This position was short lived as it didn’t speak to Matt’s passion for education. In late 2011, Matt became the Assistant Outdoor Centre Director at the Mini-Yo-We Outdoor Centre and he hasn’t looked back!

“There is not a week that goes by where I do not use the skills that I learned at Algonquin. I still have opportunities for kayaking, canoeing, climbing, hiking, maple syrup, and so much more on my free time with my family and friends. I am also constantly using the business skills as well as many of the naturalist skills that I learned while at Algonquin.”

Alumnus Skiing

It is not only reassuring to hear that the skills learned at Algonquin are more than applicable, but it’s also invigorating to take this post-grad journey with an alumnus and explore the wide-open world that awaits our grads. Are you an Algonquin grad? We want to hear from you! Take us on your journey and help guide future Algonquin grads with your inspiring words. Posted by: Jodi Bucholtz

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