Kellen's Personal Statement from 2004-05

Hello everyone, 

Today is December 8th, and Kellen's Birthday. 

In Kellen's 2004-2005 year at Green Mountain College he wrote a personal statement for an application for switching his major from adventure recreation to a self-designed major in experiential education, adventure recreation and business. I think it is very appropriate a blog focusing on intention and can be read below.

Kellen's Mon, Christine is working hard to focus on what he's brought to her life and to others to help balance out the pain of his loss. With this in mind, Christine posted the following to Kellen's facebook page:

Hi All,

In honor of Kellen's Birthday please consider committing a random act of kindness in his honor. The idea for this comes from the Kindness Project started in memory of Cheyenne Cacciatore who passed away in 1994. Her mom started it as a way to keep her daughter's memory alive...the goal is to anonymously do something special for someone....a random act of kindness.

If you want you can leave a card or note that says, "This random act of kindness is done in honor of Kellen Sams. Pay it forward." The note is a symbol and not a necessity to accompany the good deed; but leaving behind the card will serve two purposes: to encourage the recipient to pass on the kindness and to show that Kellen continues to have an impact on others. This is about sharing Kellen's generosity, and his giving and unselfish nature.

So if you like, consider paying for the next person in line at the coffee shop, baking cookies for a neighbor, helping a person in need, giving coffee or cookies to the UPS driver or mailman, leaving cupcakes at a nursing home, dropping off old coats and hats at the homeless shelter, leaving your change in the soda machine, volunteering at the soup kitchen, saying something nice about your waiter or cashier to their supervisor etc......be creative with your own idea....what fun creative thing would Kellen do?

Love, Christine

Kellen’s Personal Statement 
for GMC Self-Designed Major

Kellen Sams

             My passion for rock climbing started six years ago. And it’s not just a passion for climbing but also a love for the outdoors. Seven years ago I started going to a camp for boys called Camp Kabeyun. I loved it and have gone back each summer. During my second year I went on a rock climbing trip and I had more fun during that trip than I had during my previous camp experiences. It didn’t matter that I was a horrible climber. I loved being out THERE. Out there is out in nature, out in the woods, anywhere far from civilization and challenging myself. Using only my strength and skill to hold onto rock holds you don’t notice until you are right on top of them. Being up high and looking down. I found all of this on that one day of camp. And I haven’t stop pursuing my love of this type of experience since. There are just so many things that I love about being outdoors, savoring what this earth has to offer.

            Camp gave me more than a love of the outdoors; it gave me the chance to help others. I assisted on the ropes course and on rock climbing trips. I have also been a camp counselor which includes not just supervising but supporting the boys. At the ropes course I taught the campers how to conquer their fears and participate in high-risk activities safely. This experience has been a foundation guiding me towards my major and my involvements at Green Mountain College in Vermont. In my work-study job, I am an assistant for the college adventure program which, in part, entails designing and facilitating a leader training program for new climbers. 

            But, as I have learned through my college experiences, I would like to be more than a camp counselor. I want to learn the techniques used by professionals in the field of adventure recreation and mix that with education. Through several college classes I’ve become intrigued with the field of experiential education. It seems to me to be a vehicle by which people learn things more easily and more deeply than through a typical class experience. Presently I am creating a self-designed major that will combine my love of adventure recreation (which has been my college major up until this point) with the direction of experiential education. I will minor in business. This course of study will have three important independent study classes in which I will research the history and application of experiential education and then explore ways in which that form can benefit adventure recreation and enhance a participant’s experience.

            I anticipate being a leader/teacher in the out-of-doors as a professional. I have had a connection with the Academy for Global Exploration recently which highly interests me. This program is a non-profit, college preparatory, outdoor-oriented boarding school. It provides a “life enriching adventure program to complement its educational goals.”  I plan to use this program as my internship and look forward to the possibility of becoming involved as a leader/teacher after graduation.

To summarize my goals in a manner that matches with my experience:  I would like to navigate the professional/educational world with the passion, experience and commitment that I navigate up a difficult rock face.                                            (2004-05)