Brevard College Wilderness Leadership & Experiential Education - WLEE

10/15/2026

08/30/2026

We love Brevard College!! 💙🌪️

🌪️ Another year, another reason to celebrate what makes BC special. 🌪️

For the second consecutive year, Brevard College has been named a College of Distinction, earning national, private college, and North Carolina honors for our commitment to engaged, experiential education! 🎉

This year, BC joins an esteemed group of colleges and universities recognized for creating meaningful, student-centered educational experiences, including Carnegie Mellon, Davidson, Emory, Johns Hopkins, NYU, Rice, UNC–Chapel Hill, Notre Dame, and Wake Forest.

With one of the largest enrollments in College history, new programs in Artificial Intelligence Management and Engineering Science, new graduate programs, and an annual undergraduate research conference, the momentum at Brevard College continues.

And at the heart of it all are the Four Distinctions, the key areas used to recognize colleges that create meaningful, student-centered educational experiences: Engaged Students, Great Teaching, Vibrant Community, and Successful Outcomes.

Tyson Schritter, COO of Colleges of Distinction, noted that “Brevard College has built an environment where students are supported and challenged in ways that translate into real academic, professional and personal outcomes.”

That’s what makes Brevard College truly distinct. 💙

For more information and to view Brevard College’s Colleges of Distinction profile, visit collegesofdistinction.com/school/brevard-college

08/30/2026

Great first day for the Brevard College Cycling Team! Go Tornados!🌪️🌟

08/15/2026

08/08/2026

Here’s a helpful learning opportunity to share with others. 🌳 🏕️ 🪵

Friendly reminder: Don't Move Firewood! 🏕🪵
Invasive pests can hitch a ride in firewood. Spotted lanternfly, laurel wilt disease, thousand cankers disease, emerald ash borer, spongy moth, and asian longhorned beetles are all devastating pests that can easily be moved in or on firewood. Use of local or treated firewood is important to reduce the spread of invasive species in our state’s forests!
This summer, keep wood for campfires, cookouts, bonfires, etc local or treated!
Track their spread: https://www.ncagr.gov/divisions/nc-forest-service/Map_Invasives_NCTracking/download?attachment

08/03/2026

🏕️ 21 days in the wilderness. No phone. No email. No idea that his life had just changed.

When Matthew Harris ‘28 returned from a three-week wilderness expedition, he learned he had been selected as a recipient of NOAA’s Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship, one of the nation’s most prestigious undergraduate awards in environmental and conservation-related fields. 🌎

Awarded to approximately 130 students nationwide each year, the Hollings Scholarship is typically reserved for students in traditional STEM fields, making Matthew’s selection as a Wilderness Leadership and Experiential Education (WLEE) major especially noteworthy. 🏆

This summer, Matthew traveled to NOAA’s Science & Education Symposium in Silver Spring, Maryland, where he met 128 Hollings Scholars from across the country. It was his first time flying alone, and between sessions he explored Washington, D.C., shared meals with fellow scholars, and built friendships with students who share his passion for conservation. ✈️

Matthew says Brevard College played a key role in helping him earn the scholarship. “I don’t think I would be a Hollings Scholar if I hadn’t come to Brevard College,” he said. “The Wilderness Leadership and Experiential Education major gave me a lot of unique experiences to write about in my application essays, and my Creative Writing minor helped me articulate those experiences.” He also credits the mentorship of Dr. Jennifer Kafsky and Ryan DeGarmo, whose encouragement helped prepare him for opportunities like this. 🌿

As the first Brevard College student to earn the Hollings Scholarship, Matthew hopes his story encourages other students to pursue opportunities they may not think are within reach.

Congratulations, Matthew! We’re proud to see you representing Brevard College and showing that the Outdoor Leadership and Experiential Education program can lead to extraordinary opportunities. 💙

06/25/2026

💙🏞️ Teamwork, problem-solving, and plenty of fun were on the agenda when students from Brevard Middle School and Rosman Middle School visited campus for the Trailblazer Tour: College Discovery & Leadership Day last semester.

Building on a longstanding partnership between Brevard College’s Outdoor Leadership & Education (OLEE) program and Brevard Middle School, this year’s event expanded to include Rosman Middle School, creating an even larger opportunity for local students to connect, learn, and explore.

After meeting with Admissions staff and sharing lunch along Kings Creek, middle school students joined small-group activities led by Brevard College students from Professor David Lackey’s OLE 260 Facilitation of Group Games and Initiatives and Professor Jennifer Kafsky’s OLE 380 Advanced Facilitation and Processing. Working together, OLEE, education, and physical education majors planned and facilitated activities designed to build teamwork, connection, confidence, and community.

A special thank you to Angela Cannon, Transylvania County Schools GEAR UP Coordinator, and the Appalachian State University College Access Partnership for helping make this experience possible. We loved spending the afternoon with these future college students and community leaders! 🎓💙

06/18/2026

🌿🛶 Our final undergraduate celebration before Commencement belonged to the Outdoor Leadership and Experiential Education (OLEE) program!

In true OLEE fashion, students, faculty, and staff gathered outdoors by the creek to celebrate graduating seniors and recognize the accomplishments of OLEE students throughout the 2025-26 academic year. The evening featured great food, games, time spent together, and plenty of opportunities to reflect on a year full of adventures, learning, and growth.

The celebration then moved to the OLEE Garage for one of the program’s favorite traditions: paper plate superlatives. Equal parts heartfelt and fun, the tradition gave students one more chance to celebrate the friendships, memories, and unique personalities that make the OLEE community so special. 💙🌪️

For the full photo album, visit: https://share.google/s0IACJOc1N3h4TLBH

For a complete list of award recipients, visit: https://brevard.edu/an-abundance-of-student-honors-and-awards-were-presented-for-the-2025-26-academic-year/

05/29/2026

💙🌪️ Welcome home, Voice of the Rivers 2026!

Day 18 began with the crew’s final breakfast together before breaking down camp, saying goodbye to BC friends Dr. Josh Wilkey and JD, and heading to the Carolina Beach State Park Marina for one final reflection activity and debrief with Dr. Jennifer Kafsky, Dr. Sam Taylor, and teaching assistant Kaden Simon. Students reflected on advocacy issues, personal growth, meaningful moments, and the lessons they will carry forward from the journey, as well as listened to a reading of an essay by group leaders about readjustment to “normal” life. 🌊

The ride home was filled with VOR 2026 traditions: student DJs, singalongs, stories, and plenty of reminiscing. Even a lengthy traffic delay near Charlotte couldn’t dampen spirits. Instead, the group used the extra time to plan their return to campus and the work that still lay ahead. 🚐

Back in Brevard, the crew stopped for the traditional bell tower photo before being welcomed home by Earl Hunter of The Unity Folks, who supported them every step of the way, and waiting family members. OLEE mom, Tami Chastain, even brought dinner for the crew. It was a fitting reminder of one of the most important themes of the trip: community.

Throughout the journey, students were supported by educators, advocates, alumni, friends, family members, and complete strangers whose generosity helped make the experience possible. From educational activities to tours to roadside assistance to words of encouragement, the trip would not have been possible without community. 💙
Despite arriving late, the team immediately got to work cleaning boats, washing gear, and returning the OLEE program to order before sharing their final goodbyes around 11pm. They made plans to see each other again soon, then headed to their destinations.

Voice of the Rivers is more than a river trip. It is about understanding rivers and the natural environment more deeply, and learning how to become an effective advocate for their future. It is an expedition in collaboration, resilience, relationship-building, and community. The lessons learned and friendships formed will last long after the boats have been put away. ✨

05/28/2026

🌊🛶 Day 17 of Voice of the Rivers 2026 brought one final test of teamwork, adaptability, and determination as the crew attempted to paddle from Fort Fisher State Recreation Area to Carolina Beach State Park.

With a strong tailwind blowing in a favorable direction, Dr. Jennifer Kafsky (known to the crew as Jenny) and teaching assistant Kaden Simon decided conditions were good enough to attempt the route, while also preparing the group for the challenges that shifting currents and coastal winds could create. As the team paddled, the conditions proved demanding but manageable, pushing students to rely on the communication, coordination, and resilience they had developed throughout the trip. After roughly four miles on the water, the instructors reassessed the increasingly windy conditions and made the decision to take out early for the comfort and safety of the group.

What followed became another example of the crew’s incredible teamwork. Students carried boats over a third of a mile from the beach to the highway access point while Jenny jogged into the next town to arrange the second unexpected Uber ride of the trip. By the time the van arrived, every boat had already been moved, and the team loaded everything in record time. Spirits stayed high throughout the challenge, and the crew still made time for one final swim at Fort Fisher before returning to camp. 💙🌪️

Back at Carolina Beach State Park, the group was welcomed with an incredible surprise from BC friends Dr. Josh Wilkey and JD, who prepared a massive low country boil featuring fresh seafood from seafood stands in Southport and Wilmington and vegetables for the entire crew. After enthusiastically devouring about 65 pounds of food, the team gathered for their final nightly debrief of the journey, reflecting on the challenges and successes of the last two days while preparing for the trip home.

Day 17 served as a fitting reminder of what Voice of the Rivers is truly about: learning to adapt, solve problems together, support one another through challenges, and grow stronger as a team through every unexpected turn along the way. ✨