Jenn Oestreich
Senior Field Guide
Joined Open Sky: January 2011
In Wilderness Therapy since: 2011
Interview with Jenn Oestreich
January 2011
Q: If you were able to meet anyone (living or dead), who would it be and why?
A: Tough question. Right now, I'm reading a book about the spiritual practices of the Sufi poet, Rumi. I would love to sit in silence or dance ecstatically in his company. He speaks to laughter and tears, separation and union, courage and fears: the path of the heart, asking us to accept everything we find once we lift open our heart's lid and peer into its depth. 'Let the beauty we love be what we do. There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.'
Q: What are a few of the defining moments in your life and why?
A: Grandma taking me out on the ocean and snorkeling because she introduced me to a whole other world and sparked my adventurous spirit. The birth of my nephew, Jacob, because I'd never known love like that until then. Creating the 'Out of the Blue' benefit evening because it showed me the power of community and that I love organizing parties with a purpose. Signing up for an Outward Bound course for my 30th birthday because it saved my life. The death of my big sister in 2002 because that kind of loss changes you and I'm happy to report, for me, she inspires me every day to show up. Moving to Moab, UT because here, in these people and this land, I found family, I found my home.
Q: Who has been your greatest inspiration and why?
A: Jacob, my nephew. I'm confident that the choices I make to lead an authentic life have something to do with him.
Q: What are your unique gifts and/or experiences that help our students?
A: I believe I am thoughtful and intentional, loyal and fair-minded in word and deed. I never compromise myself in pursuit of my goals. My persistence and dedication to being my best self are gifts that I can offer our students. I walk my talk. I practice truth and honest and am faithfully devoted to ideas and people that challenge me to broaden concepts of who I believe myself to be. I have a lot of energy, spirit and sense of humor; I believe that these strengths vitalize those I come into contact with. I am altruistic and will work hard for the attainment of group goals. I love to dig deep beneath the surface appearances and find out what is really happening. I show up every day.
Q: Why do you work in wilderness therapy?
A: There was no other way for me to express my gratitude for the gifts and healing I received from time in nature than to offer myself in service to others. I believe in this work wholeheartedly.
Q: Why do you think wilderness therapy works?
A: Taking someone out of their comfort zone and placing them in an emotionally and physically safe container; the natural world. Discovering all your needs can be met carried in a backpack, away from the distractions of technology and real or perceived peer pressure is the most powerful, healing work I have ever experienced.
Q: What do you think Open Sky students need?
A: The stillness, simplicity and genuine beauty the wilderness offers. Combined with the attentive ear a guide can offer to assist them in discovering who they are, what tey need and how they can respond to life's challenges with respect and responsibility to themselves and their loved ones.
Q: What do you like to do for fun when you aren’t working in the field?
A: I LOVE to dance. I'm a volunteer DJ on the community radio station in Moab, UT, so I love finding music and playing for all my friends. I also started a L3C company with a friend last year, a low-profit social venture called The HomoSapiens Project. A fundraising organization, through events and products, we raise money to support educational efforts that break down stereotypes that breed hate. When not in the field, you can usually find me hanging out with my friends on the river, enjoying Moab, the place I call home.
Professional Experience
Outward Bound, Moab, Utah
Office Manager
Trainer
Head Logistics Coordinator
Logistics Coordinator
Intern/Instructor
Education
BA, Human Development
Prescott College, Prescott, Arizona
Equity Training
Boulder Valley School District, Boulder, Colorado
Wilderness First Responder (WFR)
