Thank You Letters

Dear Svitek Family,

This past summer I was privileged enough to be able to take an unpaid Internship with Wilderness Inquiry, which ended up being one of the most beneficial and fulfilling things I have done so far in my life. I worked as a Sea Kayak Base Camp Intern, where I worked as a member of a small team at a semi-remote Sea Kayaking Base Camp on Lake Superior in the Apostle Islands. I worked mainly on camp operations, and was able to experience first-hand all the work needed to smoothly run Sea Kayaking trips on one of the largest, coldest, and cleanest freshwater lakes in the world. In addition, I worked in Minneapolis, MN at Wilderness Inquiry’s Headquarters, helping to ensure trips had everything they needed to run smoothly and helped to lead multiple trips throughout the summer as well. I worked with underserved populations around Minneapolis and Chicago, helping them to experience the outdoors in ways they haven’t been able to before.

I was first exposed to Wilderness Inquiry 4 years ago on a trip through my summer camp in Wisconsin, which sparked my interest in Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation. Returning this summer and training as an Intern and Outdoor Leader helped me to develop skills that will last me a lifetime in this field as I help others to experience nature in the same way I love to. I was able to make lifelong friends and gain new experiences that I’ll remember for the rest of my life. Without your assistance it would’ve been much more difficult for me to travel and live so far from home for the summer, and I’m immensely grateful for your generous gift. I did some reading on Kate last semester before taking the internship, and I hope that my future work will help her dream to live on through my hands in the future.

Thank you,
Ethan