Adventures in Leadership
Adventures in Leadership 2023 Sessions
Registration for AIL 2023 opens around March 1st.
Session 1: Zipline, Hike, and Explore Western North Carolina
July 9-14 | $400.00
No Spots Left!
Participants on Session 1 will travel to western North Carolina and explore Nantahala National Forest. You’ll meet on campus and spend a day getting to know Elon before heading off to the mountains. We’ll spend a day ziplining through the canopy, getting a bird’s eye view of the trees. Then we’ll spend a few days hiking and exploring one-of-a-kind lakes and trails around Western North Carolina. Each night, we’ll camp in Nantahala. No ziplining or camping experience necessary–we’ll teach you everything! You can expect about 3-4 miles of hiking per day on this active session.
Session 2: Paddling on the Outer Banks 
July 9-14 | $400.00
No Spots Left!
Participants on Session 2 will travel to eastern North Carolina and explore NC’s beautiful beaches. You’ll meet on campus and spend time getting to know Elon before heading off to the coast. Once there, you’ll kayak, surf, spend time on the beach, camp, and experience all the local town has to offer. No camping or paddling experience necessary–we’ll teach you everything! You can expect about 3-4 miles of hiking or paddling per day on this moderately active session.
Session 3: Whitewater Rafting and Rock Climbing 
July 16-21 | $450.00
No Spots Left!
Participants on Session 3 will travel to western North Carolina and explore beautiful Pisgah National Forest. You’ll meet on campus and spend a day getting to know Elon before heading to Pisgah. We’ll spend a day on the river, learning how to whitewater raft and practicing skills. Then we’ll spend a day rock climbing and canyoneering in one of the best climbing spots in the Southeast before hiking and exploring waterfalls around western North Carolina. No rafting or climbing experience necessary–we’ll teach you everything! You can expect about 4-5 miles of hiking per day on this active session.
Session 4: Backpacking
July 16-21 | $330.00
Capacity: Only 15 Spots Left!
Participants on Session 4 will meet at Elon before heading off to Pisgah National Forest in western North Carolina for a week of backpacking. We use our time on campus to introduce you to Elon and teach you the skills you’ll need while on the trail. We will spend 3 days and nights backpacking and camping on the Art Loeb trail before returning to campus. No backpacking experience necessary–we’ll teach you everything! You can expect about 5-7 miles of hiking per day on this very active session.
Meet the 2023 AIL Staff!
Lydia Cohen (AIL Coordinator)
Year: Junior
A Little About Me: Hey hey! I am a rising junior from Princeton, New Jersey. I am double majoring in Strategic Communications and Outdoor Leadership Education. I work for Elon Challenge facilitating groups through team bonding experiences and am also a tour guide on campus! Outside of work, you can usually find me watching the sunset, ordering an overpriced peppermint latte or asking you to play a board game with me. I think food tastes better if eaten at a picnic and will never shut up if you ask me about my gap year!!! I am so excited for our adventures this summer, yay!
Jenna Sudol (AIL Coordinator)
Year: Senior
A Little About Me: I’m double majoring in Psychology and Outdoor Leadership & Education with a minor in math. I’m from Princeton, New Jersey. My favorite place to be is anywhere that’s outside! I also love music, books, long walks, exploring, chocolate cake, and a good joke. I’m super excited for AIL this summer!
Jack Allen (AIL Coordinator)
Year: Senior
A Little About Me: Hey I’m Jack Allen, I’m from the North Shore of Chicago and I’m really excited to oversee the AIL program this summer! Some of my favorite outdoor activities include paddle boarding, backpacking, and biking. I’m currently a rising senior here at Elon and have been studying environmental science. As for a fun fact: I refuse to get hot coffee no matter the temperature, iced coffee anytime for me.
Adam Arno (AIL Facilitator)
Year: Sophomore
A Little About Me: My name is Adam Arno from Dunwoody Georgia and I am a rising sophomore. I am double majoring in Psychology and OLE. My hobbies include foraging, DIY, and stand up comedy. A fun fact about me is I am an eagle scout. I am super excited to be a part of AIL this summer!
Alexis Haupt (AIL Facilitator)
Year: Senior
A Little About Me: Hi y’all!! I’m Alexis 🙂 I’m a rising senior Outdoor Leadership and Education Major from right outside of Annapolis, MD. I love everything about the sky.. sunsets, clouds and the stars and enjoy laying in my hammock, reading, and have recently picked up baking! I’m a big hockey fan and have seen the Capitals play in 5 different arenas, including a Stadium Series game. I’m so pumped to be apart of AIL and so excited to meet you all!
Ben Farmer (AIL Facilitator)
Year: Junior
A Little About Me: My name is Ben Farmer, I am a rising junior and engineering major. I am from outside of Pittsburgh. I love ultimate frisbee, golf, ping-pong, skiing, and using a kendama.
Jaden Kempf (AIL Facilitator)
Year: Sophomore
A Little About Me: Hi! I’m Jaden and I’m from Waxhaw, NC! I’m a biochem major with the food studies minor. A major lover of the outdoors along with: fun socks, xl dogs, sushi, environmental activism, sharks, pineapple on pizza, softball, puzzles and napping in the sun. As a former AIL participant, I can’t wait to share my experiences with new participants this summer!
Griffin Powell (AIL Facilitator)
Year: Junior
A Little About Me: Hi, my mane Griffin Powell I am a rising junior from Winter Haven, Florida. I am majoring in Cinema and Television Arts and minoring in Business Administration and Adventure Based Learning. Some of my hobbies are Fishing, Writing, and Fitness. A fun fact about me is I have some great impressions. One of my best is my gollum impression.
Annabel Langley (AIL Facilitator)
Year: Junior
A Little About Me: My name is Annabel and I’m a rising junior. I’m originally from England and now live in Corpus Christi, TX. I am a Communication Design major with a Food Studies minor. I love swimming, film photography, cooking, and camping. A fun fact about me is I have been to 5 continents!
John Dubia (AIL Facilitator)
Year: Senior
A Little About Me: Hey y’all! I’m John Dubia, a rising senior from Wake Forest, North Carolina. I am a double major in History and Outdoor Leadership and Education. Some of my favorite hobbies include fly fishing, hiking, disc golf and watching/playing soccer! A fun fact about me is that I make my own flies and am looking to start a website to sell them!
Everett Gansereit (AIL Facilitator)
Year: Junior
A Little About Me: My name is Everett Gansereit and I am a rising junior from Alpharetta, Georgia. I am a marketing major with a minor in history. In my free time I love to hang out with my friends, listen to music, go hiking, watch movies, and play tennis. A fun fact about myself is that I am a triplet! I am so excited for this summer and can’t wait to get to know all of you!
Cam Annear (AIL Facilitator)
Year: Junior
A Little About Me: Hey guys! My name is Cam Annear and I am from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I am a rising junior at Elon University majoring in political science. When I have free time, I love to both play and watch sports with my friends. I also enjoy staying fit and healthy by either going to the gym or going on long jogs through nature. A fun fact about myself is that I have been privileged enough to visit 23 countries before the age of 20. I am really looking forward to getting to meet everyone and I am certain the AIL summer experience is going to be absolutely amazing for both participants and facilitators. See you soon!
Courtney Lee (AIL Facilitator)
Year: Junior
A Little About Me: Hi everyone!! I’m a double major in environmental study and policy study with a minor in sustainable enterprise. I’m from Portland, Maine and will tell you how beautiful it is there any chance I get. I adore spending my time exploring the outdoors, some of my favorite outdoor activities are skiing, beekeeping, kayaking, and hammocking! I cant wait to meet the incoming first-years on our adventures this summer!
Caroline Putman (AIL Facilitator)
Year: Junior
A Little About Me: My name is Caroline Putman I am a rising junior studying strategic communications! I was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia and I am THRILLED to be an AIL facilitator this summer! I enjoy being outside, spending time with my friends, and going to concerts. A fun fact about me is that I work on Elon’s first and only game show, Win Stuff!
Anna Brett Blinston (AB) (AIL Facilitator)
Year: Sophomore
A Little About Me: Hey!!! I’m Anna Brett Blinston or AB or Alphabet! I’m a rising sophomore and am from Greenville, South Carolina! I’m a Media Analytics and Communication Design double major with a minor in Adventure Based Learning! I love the outdoors and climbing trees, sports (especially soccer and tennis), music, reading, and chilling in my hammock! Fun fact about me is last year I was an AIL participant on the backpacking trip and had a blast!!
Adventures in Leadership has been the best experience I’ve had at Elon. It opened my eyes to new ways of learning. It has opened the door to countless opportunities for me at Elon, including my minor, and most importantly it brought me to my best friends and helped me create lasting relationships with students and faculty members. AIL is the reason that I love Elon, and I will be forever grateful to this program for molding me into my best self, and fostering my love of the outdoors.
-Nicole Roberts ’20