Meet our 2024 site directors!

Name: Joe Angevine

Age: 21

School: University of Delaware – Senior

  • 13 years old

  • 7 years

  • Kayaking, Advanced Kayaking, and sometimes Fat Tire

  • My father got me into kayaking at a young age, and I would like to follow in his footsteps and let kayaking take me all over the country. I love the creative and athletic freedom kayaking provides, and I can’t wait to see where it takes me in the future.

  • Passages has taught me how to get up early and be on-time, be responsible for my health outside of work, communicate with people of all ages, and to take pride in my favorite sport.

  • I have wanted to site direct since I started working at Passages because I saw the difference that a good site director can make with the site dynamics. Ideally, a SD should be able to treat everyone with equal respect, encourage people to pick up responsibilities, handle any situation that may arise, and bring the spontaneous energy that everyone needs to push through the day.

  • The most important item anyone could bring is a solid water bottle. I’ve been bringing a Nalgine to camp for the past 6 years, and I have yet to see one break. Another important item to bring is a rain coat. As long as you have one with you, it will not rain! Finally, I will always bring a hat. The last thing I need is to be seen with helmet hair, and a good hat is the best way to hide it.

  • I have always wanted an otter as a pet. They are so mischievous and unique, and they even love the water as much as I do.

Name: Ben Blanchard

Age: 19

School: Boston College – Sophmore

  • 9 years old

  • 5 years

  • Rock and River Climbing and Base Camp

  • Blue

  • BB, Benny, Blanch

  • I love the community that both climbing and kayaking have provided me. Everyone is super supportive and it’s an amazing way to be social while enjoying the outdoors

  • I started at Passages as a climbing counselor but through staff events, I have gotten really into kayaking. During the summers, I have started kayaking with other staff members.

  • Chicken pot pie

Name: Lauren Stalls

Age: 19

School: University of Vermont – Sophmore

  • 15 years old

  • 3 years

  • Advanced Climbing

  • After going to Rock Week as a camper, I knew I wanted to be a part of Passages. I loved Rock Week, which got me stoked on outdoor climbing, and was also on the competitive climbing team at Peak. I wanted to get involved with a community of people who loved both climbing and being outside.

  • I was on Training Team at Peak and heard about Passages through my coaches. I was unsure about it, but my parents thought I would enjoy it and they were right!

  • I decided to pursue Site Directing because I love Advance Camp and the Site Directors I've worked under, and wanted a chance to make it my own. For me, success as a Site Director means helping every camper achieve their goals for the week whether it's conquering a fear, passing a level, or having fun!

  • My cat Kirby, because I think she could beat up any enemy.

  • I was on a competitive Rubik's cube solving team in elementary school.

Name: Alex Van Marke

Age: 19

School: Virginia Tech — Freshman

  • 9 years old

  • 6 years

  • Rock & River, Kayaking, and Advanced Kayaking

  • I decided to join the Passages Staff the first summer I turned 14 which was 2018. I decided to join the Passages Staff because of the staff I had when I was a camper, and I wanted to be a role model for other kids just like the Passages Staff were to me when I was a camper.

  • What I love about kayaking is the ability to be completely in nature. Being on the river takes you completely away from everything else and all you have to focus on is the river and the sport itself.

  • My most treasured memory at Passages was definitely as a camper and finally getting my roll. Getting your roll is so rewarding because it's typically something unlike anything you've ever done before, so experiencing that success after days of work is a great feeling.

  • National Bagel Day, a day eating just bagels sounds amazing.

  • Definitely rice, very versatile food

Name: Sophia Candler

Age: 18

School: University of Vermont – Sophmore

  • 8 years old

  • 3 years

  • Climbing, Advanced Climbing, The Blast, Check-In

  • Through passages I have made some of my closest friends who all share the same love for climbing as myself. Because of passages I have visited places like the New River Gorge that I never thought I would get to and have been on numerous hiking and biking trips. It has inspired me to take advantage of all of the amazing things nature has to offer and has even pushed me into trying activities and sports I was once afraid of.

  • I heard about Passages when throwing my third grade Peak Experiences birthday party where I thought I was the coolest for being able to climb up the wall faster than my friends. My mom saw how happy I was and looked into more programs Peak had to offer.

  • My most treasured memory at camp as a staff was after my first week of working advanced camp last summer and a camper had written me a letter saying how grateful and excited she was that throughout the week we were able to help her overcome her fear of heights and try things she had been too nervous to do and how the staff, specifically us girl staff, had helped inspire her to climb hard and push for her goals.

  • I think Passages is a unique company to work for because of the bonding between the staff. With the many after work activities where you can try out sports that aren't in your site you get to meet many different kinds of people, all who are excited about the same things as you.

  • I can make the noise of the monsters in A Quiet Place.

Name: Madelyn Morrow

Age: 18

  • 10 years old

  • 4 years

  • Rock & River — Kayaking

  • I wanted to be a female counselor in the kayaking site and encourage other girls to get more into the sport of kayaking

  • Passages have taught me to be more confident in public speaking and leading groups of people through activities. It has also given me the opportunity to become a well-rounded person by getting creative and working with all types of people.

  • Passages is a unique company to work for since it's very inclusive and constantly looks for other ways to be current with the changing environment/community. My most rewarding experience working with a camper named Tami. She was a little girl that was terrified of water/kayaking and didn't know how to swim. By the end of the week the Staff and I taught her how to become comfortable enough in the water and in her kayak for her to complete the river trip.

  • Back flexibility

  • A wolf

Name: Sam Deyerle

Age: 19

School: Appalachian State — Freshman

  • 11 years old

  • 6 years

  • Fat Tire and Base Camp

  • Sammy, Slammy, Sam-I-Am, The Weatherman

  • When it comes to rock climbing, I love motivating the campers and giving them new ways to look at each route. When it comes to mountain biking, it’s something that I’ve done with my friends and family forever and it’s so fun to explore the woods while flying through on a bike.

  • It is a super tight knit community where everyone is super passionate and supportive. My most rewarding experience with a camper was when I found out they named their pet goldfish after me!

  • Bald eagle

  • Medium rare steak of any kind

Name: Charlie Stephens

Age: 19

School: Virginia Commonwealth University — Sophmore

  • 9 years old

  • 5 years

  • Base Camp, Advanced Climbing, Rock and River Climbing

  • Any time a kid I work with overcomes something that’s clearly shaking them always becomes a treasured memory. Last summer I walked a few kids through their lead falls for the first time. I always try to let the kid direct how far they want to push themselves, and was always incredibly impressed by how brave such small people can be!

  • Definitely the people, and the frisbee. My most rewarding experience with a camper is always changing (depending on what I can recall day to day) but a more recent experience was guiding a camper through their first summer storm without their parents. It was a real whopper and he was really scared, but I was able to talk him through the act of grounding himself and we spent the rest of the storm exploring what rocks and plants were around us. One of the best parts of camp is having those important one in one moments with campers, even if the circumstances are scary or stressful.

  • Halloween 2 Electric Boogaloo. Basically just “More Halloween”. Every time Halloween happens I always wish there was more of it.

  • Dumplings. Everything in the dumpling umbrella. Momos, shumai, potstickers etc. There’s nothing I love more than portable pockets of food.

  • Baths. I don’t understand why we as humans like to sit in dirty soup to get clean. It’s the oxymoron of hygiene practices. And yes, I’m also anti hot tubs. Why is humanity obsessed with sitting in human stew??

Name: Will Deyerle

Age: 19

School: Virginia Commonwealth University

  • 11 years old

  • 5 years

  • Fat Tire, Advanced Fat Tire, and BMX Fat Tire

  • I wanted to pursue Site Directing because they made the biggest impact on me as a camper. Success as a Site Director to me is when I am able to keep every single kid smiling as much as I can, being a leader for the staff, and keeping the stoke high all week!

  • I love the feeling I get when I ride through the woods at any given time. It keeps me grounded , on my toes, and is just such a blast!

  • It is not. One piece of bread dude.

  • Just a classic margherita

  • A burger with pineapple, chips, pickles, tomatoes, barbecue sauce and mustard. It was not very good.

Name: James Puzon

Age: 20

School: University of Pittsburgh — Junior

  • 10 years old

  • 4 years

  • Rock and River Climbing and Kayaking and Advance Climbing

  • I think it’s great that I get to do two sports at Passages. I get to have twice the fun! Climbing and kayaking are both special to me for different reasons: climbing because I like the challenge of finding the balance between strength and technique to solve problems, kayaking because I enjoy the wild nature of the river and learning new tricks is fun.

  • Crocs, a water bottle, and crocs

  • Passages have taught me skills that I use in my everyday life. The knots I learned are useful even outside of camp. More importantly, I learned how to listen and speak effectively to groups of people. This has grown my confidence and has helped improve my presentation skills in school.

  • Puzon, Jimmy P, Jamalamdingdong, Big poo (my brother is little poo), Puzón (in Spanish), Puz (pronounced “poos”)

  • Everything. Yes, even with the oranges with the peel.

Name: Dillan Baskin

Age: 19

School: James Madison University — Junior

  • 11 years old

  • 6 years

  • Rock and River Kayaking

  • I decided to pursue Site Directing after working under some wonderful Site Directors as a CIT and Junior Counselor. The Site Directors that I had allowed me to become the best staff and best person that I could be, and I want to do that for as many staff as I can. As a Site Director, success is when all the campers and staff are having a great time together.

  • Being at Passages taught me so many life skills such as communication, perseverance, self-confidence, and how important it is to have fun. Also, Passages is where I met some of my best friends and I wouldn’t trade the experience of being at camp with them for anything.

  • I heard about Passages from one of my friend’s moms and my Mom thought it would be a good idea for me to come to camp. I was a little nervous to go as I didn’t know anyone else at camp, but as soon as I got to Passages and met lots of other campers, my nerves went away and I had the time of my life.

  • A worm.

  • I can wiggle my ears.

Name: Anna Climo

Age: 19

School: University of Virginia — Sophomore

  • 11 years old

  • 6 years

  • Rock and River Climbing, Advanced Climbing, and Base Camp

  • I decided that I wanted to join staff after my first week of Rock and River. It was one the most memorable weeks of my life, and I knew from that week on that I never wanted to stop being a part of the Passages community.

  • I love climbing for so many reasons. I am a competitive climber for Peak Experiences during the school year and I climb most days during the week. I love climbing because it challenges me in so many ways. It pushes me to become better physically and mentally. I used to be so afraid of climbing, and I still do have some fear when climbing, but there is nothing better than learning how to push past your fears and make it to the top of a wicked climb. Finally, the main reason I choose to climb so much is because of the amazing climbing community. Some of my best friends are on my climbing team or work at Passages with me, and climbing is the thing that brings us all together.

  • I have so many treasured memories at camp, but one of my favorite moments as a staff was when I came to my first day of staff training and my counselor from last year remembered me. He immediately came up to me and told me how excited he was to see me on staff. This is when I knew that becoming staff was one of the best decisions I had ever made. Now that I have worked on staff for a while I love every year at staff training going up to my previous campers and welcoming them to staff just like my counselor had done for me.

  • Mexican food, I already wish I could eat this everyday so this would be a dream come true.

  • Most definitely a duck, no question

Name: Nolan Taylor

Age: 19

School: Virginia Tech — Junior

  • 9 years old

  • 6 years

  • Rock and River Climbing

  • Time at Passages has deeply improved me as a person. When it comes to my confidence, camp has allowed me to feel comfortable in almost any situation. I have learned how to talk to people and help people in the world. Camp has taught me that with patience and positivity you can work to make any situation work.

  • I heard about Passages because I would always ride in the car as my older sister would get picked up and dropped off at camp. Hearing all of her cool stories made me jealous and I wanted to experience camp for myself. I ended up following her footsteps as I went to camp and also became a staff member just like her.

  • My most treasured memory at camp was my last parents day at rock and river. I thought I couldn’t complete a certain climb and had given up. My staff talked to me right and encouraged me and boosted my confidence. I was then able to complete the climb for my mom as she was so proud of me and thankful for the staff for helping me

  • I decided to pursue Site Directing because I thought I had learned enough and had enough experience to be able to handle a higher responsibility. Just like how I learned from my peers and older staff, I want to help be a role model for the younger staff and future staff too. Success as a site director is inclusive, organized, energetic and fun while making sure every risk is being managed.

  • I would love to have Mushu the Dragon from Mulan as my sidekick in a movie.

Name: Hailey Young

Age: 20

School: University of Massachusetts Amherst — Sophomore

  • 10 years old

  • 6 years

  • Base Camp and Rock and River Climbing

  • I moved here from New York when I was 10 and my mom wanted to send me to camp so I could meet people.

  • Cheese

  • A national Mental Health Day where everyone just takes a break for a day.

  • You will hear everyone talk about how the community at passages is so unique and it truly is the most rewarding company I’ve ever worked for. It honestly doesn’t even feel like work. I gotta do what I love with people that have common interests as me.

  • Hailbug, Hail, Hailz

Name: Liam Tobin

Age: 17

School: Patrick Henry High School — Senior

  • 5 years old

  • 4 years

  • Fat Tire, Blast, and Base Camp

  • Most notably, Barth. Per request of the awesome and hilarious Fat Tire staff. My grandma also calls me Lemonade

  • Water, a durable pair of shoes on your feet, and you always should wear a smile

  • Obtaining the most wacky t-shirts you have ever seen. Crazy Model Horse Lady forever.

  • My favorite camp activity is the Staff Rodeo. It's hilarious to watch your fellow staff try to escape and the fun of tying them with the campers is unbeatable.

  • Fat Tire. The community shift that we have developed over the years specifically in that site is incredible. It was great when I was a camper, and it's even better now.

Name: Aaron Gleason

Age: 17

School: James River High School – Senior

  • 5 years old

  • 3 years

  • Base camp and Fat Tire

  • Purple

  • Nibbles, Double A Ron Dog, A-A-Ron, Double A Ronny

  • The freedom of mountain biking and being in nature

  • Duct tape, bike tool, and lots of water

  • It doesn't feel like a job but instead it feels like a family

Name: Maya Wingold

Age: 18

School: Richmond Community High School — Senior

  • 11 years old

  • 4 years

  • Rock & River Climbing and Base Camp

  • I had friends who went to camp and begged my parents to send me.

  • Winning a relay race at my second staff training!

  • I can crochet!

  • Field sobriety! We flip kayaks upside down in the quarry and have one on one battles on them.

  • Soup and bread

Name: Ian Deyerle

Age: 19

School: American University — Freshman

  • 11 years old

  • 6 years

  • Base Camp and Fat Tire

  • Purple

  • I get to work with my favorite people!

  • I love everything about it. My favorite part though is the opportunity I get to interact with amazing people in the beautiful outdoors.

  • Passages has taught me teamwork and responsibility more than any other aspect of my life.

  • I am mad good at solitaire

Name: Abigail Rose

Age: 19

School: Wesleyan University — First-year

  • I joined the Passages staff last year, and fell in love with the community! I never got the chance to go to passages as a kid, but I think making camp great for the kiddos is almost as fun as going to camp

  • This will be my second year, I am so grateful to be able to be a site director this year, and it's only due to the great role models I saw and worked with last year

  • Base Camp and Rock & River Climbing

  • None of my previous jobs had the kind of supportive environment I was looking for, and the community at passages is so well-known and well-loved that it seemed like exactly what I was looking for, and it definitely has been!

  • My favorites are green and yellow. I love pretty much any bright color, though!

  • Potatoes, because they can be cooked in so many ways!

  • My ability to problem solve and connect with people has increased tenfold! I know I can work well under pressure, but to also ask for help when I need it. It's a tough balance to find!

  • Climbing has completely changed my life, it was how I found my community when I returned home after graduating high school. The connections that we make in the climbing community are lasting ones, and if you can trust your life in someone's hands while lead climbing, you know they've got your back for anything

Name: Afton Hessian

Age: 18

School: Freeman High School

  • I was 16

  • 2 years

  • Advanced Climbing

  • My middle name is Moon so my family and friends like to call me variations of that

  • Every trip to the forest is always really special

  • I love the community so much. Some of my best friends are from climbing and going on trips to the New together is always my favorite part of the summer

  • bug spray, water bottle, and music

  • Watermelon

Name: Hope Fagan

Age: 19

School: University of Vermont — First-Year

  • 8 years old

  • 6 years

  • Fat Tire and Rock & River Climbing

  • I met some of my year long best friends through Passages

  • Dinosaur

  • The Slip n’ Slide

  • Sushi

Name: Laura Luzatto

Age: 17

School: The Steward School — Senior

  • 8 years old

  • 3 years

  • Rock and River Kayaking

  • The Passages staff have the best time working, it doesn't even feel like a job! Seeing the fun they have on staff, and the close community all the staff have created, I knew that I wanted to become a Passages staff

  • It is so freeing to be on the water, and just letting the water take you downstream is so much fun. Kayaking has taken me so many places I never dreamed of, and being able to experience it all from the water is amazing!

  • National bring your pet to school/work day

  • Nalgene, raincoat, and a carabiner

  • The first camper I taught how to roll (a level 3 kayaking skill) by myself wanted to take a picture with me after the week was over so she could always remember her week at camp. When she came back the following year, she ran to me and gave me the biggest hug.

Name: Owen Eklund

Age: 18

School: Appomattox Regional Governor’s School for the Arts & Tech

  • 8 years old

  • 5 years

  • Fat Tire, Adv Fat Tire, Rock and River Climbing

  • Teal-y blue

  • Scootchland

  • Nothing is quite as freeing as flying through trees on two wheels. My passion for biking is something I picked up early in life from my dad, and it has always been something that my family bonds over!

  • The bond I have created with a group of fellow staff outside of camp is one that I hope to have for the rest of my life!

  • A little fox (the one at Maymont if possible)