PWSC Outdoor Leadership Program in Valdez Alaska

PWSC Outdoor Leadership Program in Valdez Alaska UA is an AA/EO employer and educational institution and prohibits illegal discrimination against any

The AAS degree in Outdoor Leadership is offered at Prince William Sound College in Valdez, Alaska, a campus within the University of Alaska system. Valdez is known world-over for its epic backcountry skiing, amazing fishing, and as a premiere sea kayaking destination. Valdez has a grip of many lesser known treasures and activities. Our town is small, remote, and surrounded by some of the most beautifully rugged wilderness in the world.

At it again with Kids Don’t Float
10/02/2026

At it again with Kids Don’t Float

Some of our outdoor leadership students are stepping outside the classroom today and into the role of teachers.I attende...
09/30/2026

Some of our outdoor leadership students are stepping outside the classroom today and into the role of teachers.

I attended one of the initial training presentations with Joy Lomelino and Iris Nawiesniak of the Kids Don’t Float project to learn more about this statewide injury-prevention program designed to reduce Alaska’s high child and youth drowning rate.

The program started in Homer in 1996 with 15 life jacket loaner stations around Kachemak Bay. Today, Kids Don’t Float loaner boards can be found at public boat launches and harbors around Alaska, where people can borrow life jackets for free and return them after use.

The program's education side teaches kids about boating safety, proper life jacket use, and cold-water survival.

Today, Hadley, Jack, Kelsey and Ian are heading to the middle school with Joy and Iris to teach younger students about water safety.

We are happy to see our students take what they are learning and use it to help others. They are not just learning outdoor leadership. They are becoming part of the community and passing that knowledge on.

And that is pretty cool.

Shout-out to Lauren Bien with Prince William Sound Science Center. Thank you for taking the time to join our first-year ...
09/29/2026

Shout-out to Lauren Bien with Prince William Sound Science Center. Thank you for taking the time to join our first-year Outdoor Leadership students on Zoom and share what you do. We really appreciate it!

It is so valuable for our students to hear directly from people working in the field and learn more about the partnerships we have with organizations in our community. It gives them a chance to see the connections between what they are learning in the classroom and the work happening outside of it.

Thank you again!

This year, Dr. Benjamin Rush is doing something a little different in Outdoor Leadership.He is pairing second-year stude...
09/28/2026

This year, Dr. Benjamin Rush is doing something a little different in Outdoor Leadership.

He is pairing second-year students with first-year students as mentors and mentees. They had an official dinner, a swearing-in, and both sides agreed to the expectations and responsibilities that come with the role.

These are real roles for both students. The second-year students are being asked to step up, lead and support someone who is just beginning the program. The first-year students are being asked to be open to learning, asking questions and accepting guidance.

It won’t always be easy. They will be challenged, and there will be times when they have to work through things together. But that is part of the point.

The experience they gain from these relationships can be pretty significant. They are learning how to communicate, take responsibility, support someone else and grow through experiences that may not always be comfortable.

And maybe, somewhere along the way, some of these mentor-mentee relationships will turn into friendships that last well beyond their time at PWSC.

We really like what this adds to the Outdoor Leadership experience.

This is the second year PWSC Outdoor Leadership students have taught outdoor leadership skills to fifth graders in Blair...
09/25/2026

This is the second year PWSC Outdoor Leadership students have taught outdoor leadership skills to fifth graders in Blair Bailey and Brock Vowell’s classes at Gilson Middle School.

This year, the program has grown from one day a week to two, giving our students more time to work with the fifth graders and put their teaching skills into practice.

I stopped by one of the classes and found about 15 middle schoolers outfitted with climbing shoes and belay gear, moving through four stations on the rock wall.

Second-year Outdoor Leadership students Sarah, Xavier, and Quentin were teaching first-year students Craig and Noah how to work with the younger students. The PWSC students demonstrated, guided, and helped the fifth graders learn how to use the climbing and belay equipment safely.

A lot was happening in that room: climbers, belayers, students teaching students, and a whole lot of activity on the wall.

What I liked most was seeing the Outdoor Leadership students move from learning the skills themselves to learning how to teach those skills to someone else.

And now they get to do it twice a week.

We had a great turnout for last night’s Outdoor Leadership guest presentation, with students from both Outdoor Leadershi...
09/24/2026

We had a great turnout for last night’s Outdoor Leadership guest presentation, with students from both Outdoor Leadership and Marine Service Technology joining us.

Adjunct faculty member Kaden Addler shared the story of his boat project. Kaden bought a vessel in the Lower 48 and began the process of getting it home to Valdez. What followed was a two-year project that included motor problems, mechanical issues and plenty of troubleshooting. After two years of work, the vessel is finally here in Valdez.

For our Marine Service Technology students, the project offered plenty to learn on the mechanical side, including the work it took to get the vessel ready and make the journey home. For our Outdoor Leadership students, it was another example of the problem-solving, patience and adaptability that come with working in the outdoors.

Kaden has spent years working and playing outside, from sea kayaking and glacier guiding to packrafting, skiing, ice climbing and wilderness education. He believes the wilderness is one of the best classrooms for building both hard skills and resilience.

Kaden is one of several guest speakers joining our Outdoor Leadership students this term. August Franzen and Sean Wisner will also be sharing their knowledge and real-world experiences with the class.

If you missed it and want to watch the presentation, you can view it at the link below!
https://youtu.be/NJnv3E_qi_A?is=3CsK4kmi7b9PQxco

Outdoor Leadership isn’t always fun.Sometimes it’s cold. You’re tired. Your legs hurt. The weather is terrible. And you ...
09/23/2026

Outdoor Leadership isn’t always fun.

Sometimes it’s cold. You’re tired. Your legs hurt. The weather is terrible. And you start wondering why you thought this was a good idea in the first place.

Recently, our second-year Outdoor Leadership students biked the Denali Highway, and the first few days actually sucked. Things got better, but those first few days were hard.

And that’s the reality of outdoor leadership.

The point isn’t to make everything easy or fun. The point is to experience the hard stuff, too. To learn what happens when you’re uncomfortable, tired, frustrated and still have miles to go.

Because sometimes the hardest part isn’t the trail, the weather or the distance. It’s your attitude.

William James said, “The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes.”

At some point, you have to make that adjustment. You can keep fighting the experience, or you can accept where you are and figure out how to move forward.

That shift doesn’t make the hill disappear. It doesn’t make your legs hurt less.

But it can change how you experience the rest of the ride.

And sometimes, you just keep pedaling anyway.

First-Year Backpacking Trip ReflectionHere’s what one of our first-year Outdoor Leadership students, Jack Daniel, had to...
09/22/2026

First-Year Backpacking Trip Reflection

Here’s what one of our first-year Outdoor Leadership students, Jack Daniel, had to say about the backpacking trip:

Before this trip, I thought I knew the basics of the outdoors. After this trip, I've learned a lot about the basic respect you should have for your surroundings when outside.

The trip had so many different views, terrain, and wildlife in such a short range of each other. Being able to go out and see something most people in their lives will never know about is special.

The people were a huge part of it too. Getting to know them through small conversations, a spotlight, or just laughing with them is something most people struggle to do. It's weird to go out into the middle of nowhere with people from all over the country, with different pasts and different futures, yet this trip into the unknown connected us.

The trip felt long, even though it was short. Maybe it was the miles, the different setting, or the weather, but it was fun. The jokes we made, opening up, sliding down mountains, walking on ice, falling down and getting back up. The people.

Setting up the tents and tarps was always done so quickly and orderly. It never really felt like a chore trying to set up our home for the night. We made food, gathered around, slept, and did it all again the next day.

Day three, I think, will be ingrained in my mind forever. Just the final mile and seeing the colors of Fall throughout the Valley, feeling like I accomplished something sliding down those mountains, walking on the ice, and crossing fields of rocks and moss.

And as hard and mentally straining day four was, I can still say I did something most people would never dare to do.

I keep thinking about the question Ben asked me: "If your parents were here, what would they think?"

Somehow the question was timed perfectly. I had been thinking of my Dad that whole day, ready to call and tell him everything. I think my parents would be proud if they'd watched me do everything we did during that trip.

My Dad called me the day after we got back, asking about it, laughing and amazed by everything I told him, like how it ended with the bear walking with us.

Then came the final Hoo-Rah before heading back: the story about Chief Seattle, and realizing that in just five days I'd somehow become closer to a bunch of strangers. I teared up.

Walking down that trail back to the van, I felt good about deciding to come out here instead of enlisting in the military. I thought about all the people who supported me in coming out here. Who helped me arrive and unpack. Who raised me and delivered my car as a final responsibility.

This trip really made me feel accomplished. Being able to do and see something most people never will.

After the call with my Dad, I kept thinking about that question.

"I'm very proud of the man you are becoming. Love you, buddy," he messaged.

This trip made me feel like I'm finally paying my Dad back for all the effort he put into making sure I'm doing what I love.

Outdoor Leadership student Imani Mineweaser has been putting her skills to work this summer with Valdez Adventure Allian...
09/18/2026

Outdoor Leadership student Imani Mineweaser has been putting her skills to work this summer with Valdez Adventure Alliance (VAA), where she is a Program and Event Coordinator intern working with Executive Director Lanette Oliver.

Her internship has given her a wide look at what goes into running an outdoor recreation nonprofit.

Imani has worked on trail maintenance, volunteer coordination, event and program planning, state parks maintenance, communications, reservations and other behind-the-scenes work.

Much of her fieldwork has been on the Shoup Bay Trail, where VAA is working toward installing a boardwalk to help protect the wetland. Imani has helped cut back vegetation along the trail and has also traveled by ferry and kayak to the far end of the trail near the cabins, using brush cutters to help maintain the area.

She has also helped coordinate volunteers for the trail work, including working with the Coast Guard to bring volunteers out to help.

At Worthington Glacier and Blueberry Lake, Imani helps keep the parks running throughout the season. She makes regular trips to the parks to post reservations, take care of trash and bathrooms, and run the retail shop. She also supports the online reservation system, responds to visitors, and helps resolve reservation issues.

And then there is the work people don't always see.

Imani helps edit and manage the website, posts information on bulletin boards, communicates with people about equipment and gear, coordinates with partners and volunteers, and helps with the many details that go into planning VAA events.

Her internship began in March with the Fat Bike Bash, where she first volunteered with VAA. That experience let her see how an event comes together, from coordinating volunteers to setting up and tearing down. Her work there led to her internship with the organization.

She is also helping prepare for upcoming events, including the Odyssey Race on September 26, 2026 at Thompson Pass, where she will be stationed at a waypoint near the top of Little Odyssey to document participants reaching the point and help with race logistics.

Imani said her Outdoor Leadership classes, particularly safety and risk management, have been valuable in her internship. She has applied what she learned about waivers, volunteer logistics, proper gear, hydration, equipment, and risk mitigation to real-world situations.

The internship has also given her a lot of independence. Her hours can vary significantly depending on the season and workload, and 40-hour weeks were common during July and August.

For Imani, that independence, along with the opportunity to meet people and work outside, has made the experience especially rewarding.
She plans to continue working with VAA and hopes to return to Valdez each season.

“I am very grateful to have a job that I am satisfied with at the end of each day. I find it very rewarding and fulfilling,” Imani said.

Address

303 Lowe Street
Valdez, AK
99686

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm

Telephone

+19078341600

Website

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