Please describe yourself: (name, age, 2 things people wouldn't know about you from looking at you)

Hey! Justin Twist here. I’ve been on this earth for a quarter century, and currently reside in the mile high city of Denver, CO. There are a couple of things people wouldn’t know from just looking at me. One of those things is that I am enamored by rivers, especially the cold, clear, and clean ones. Another little known thing about me is that I am in love with Donald Glover. His music, writing, and acting is all incredible. Phew, what a talented human!

What are you most passionate about?

One of my earliest memories was crawling around in a creek, flipping rocks and trying to catch the biggest crayfish possible. The sense of adventure and curiosity I experienced that day is still as strong today as it was when I was a child. This early memory has had such an impact on me that I’ve found that I’m most happy and fulfilled when I can share the outdoors with others. In college I found myself working at a summer camp that focuses on environmental education, and the rest is history!

Why did you choose ELK (Environmental Learning for Kids) as a way to pursue your passion?

I knew that working outdoors and working with young people were both things that I enjoyed doing. Before my current position with ELK, I spent time working in New York, Virginia, and Alabama, all in the environmental education realm. I got the wonderful experience of working with a wide demographic of young people, from the country kid down the road who knew way more about hunting than I did, to the kid who spent their whole life in NYC and had never experienced looking up at a starlit sky. What I learned from these experiences is that I have the incredible privilege of being educated and experienced in the outdoors, and I want to use that privilege to serve young people that haven’t had the opportunities I’ve had. Through Environmental Learning for Kids, we are able to do just that; we develop inspired and responsible leaders through science education and outdoor experiences for underserved, urban youth (mission plug, had to!).

Who or what has motivated you to pursue your passion?

What first motivated me to pursue my passion was the sense of purpose I found when I interacted with young people and taught them something new. I knew I loved being outside and learning about the natural world, and then I discovered that sharing what I’m most enthusiastic about was also something I enjoyed doing. My present day role is less of an environmental educator and more of a mentor. One thing I’ve come to realize is that passions can ebb and flow, and are rooted in a common value. I think the value most important to me is helping others. I found this through sharing the outdoor world with young people, and I continue to find myself living through this value in my current position at ELK. I never thought I’d feel such a sense of purpose helping high school students land their first job, get into college, or help them discover what their passions are.

What was one of life's toughest hardships and how did you overcome it?

Being diagnosed with cancer my senior year at Le Moyne College was quite a hardship. Right before Halloween I was experiencing some uncomfortable stomach pain and went to an Urgent Care. Long story short, they misdiagnosed me as having lymphoma in my small intestines, so I spend a week in the hospital recovering from an exploratory surgery where they didn’t find anything notable. I was not planning on being a hospital patient for Halloween that year… A few months later, my mother’s intuition told her that I should get a follow up CT scan to see how I was healing up. That follow up scan showed that I indeed had a tumor on my kidney, something they missed during the first scan. Fast forward to spring semester of senior year and I was again in the hospital for a week, after having part of my kidney removed. To spare y’all the anticipation – I’ve been cancer free for 4 years now! Physically, this experience sucked pretty badly, but the real hardship was the emotional toll it took on me (and probably more so my mom). Not a whole lot of young people I knew had gone through that, so I definitely felt alone in that regard. That, coupled with my longstanding undiagnosed depression made for not a super fun year as everyone around celebrated their last few months of freedom before adulthood. I’d say that I’ve yet to fully overcome this hardship, but having a super solid friend and family support net has been paramount to my recovery, both physically and mentally.

Describe one of your fondest memories related to your passion?

Dang, that’s a tough one! I’d have to say that one of my fondest memories was this past summer, where we took a group of high school students on a 7 day backpacking trip into the wilderness. This was by far the most remote place any of them had ever been, and was the longest they’d been in the woods for. It was amazing to watch this small group of young people work together as a team, encouraging and supporting each other although each person had their own challenges on the trip. I’m specifically fond of the memory of watching my group of students attempt a summit of a mountain over 12,000 ft tall. The sense of accomplishment in these young people was seriously inspiring! Watching how these teens carry themselves after the trip has also been a real joy for me. Their sense of self and confidence has sky rocketed, and that has positioned them to do bigger and better things for themselves!

How would the children/staff at your job describe you?

Well, I think I’m pretty goofy and easy going, which most of my kids would probably agree with. I’m bad at this question so I just asked one of them instead. One of my older students, Nancy, said “Justin can be described as someone who is ambitious, caring, and viewed as a mentor. Personally he is like an older brother or male figure that is strong and puts others before him. The students that he interacts with are always impacted one way or another.”

What’s is your:

Playlist on a lonely island:

Hmmm… I’d probably have to go with some music that is just instrumental. If I was on a lonely island, I’d want to sing my own songs after a while (crazy, right?). I’m getting my Master’s degree in Teaching and Learning right now so I listen to a lot of post rock instrumental when I do schoolwork. Explosions in the Sky and Tycho would have to be on my lonely island playlist.

Favorite peace of literature, art that you'd keep with you forever?

I try to not be super attached to material things, but one piece of literature that has stuck with me as I’ve bopped from place to place is called The Earth Speaks. It’s a collection of poems and short stories from a bunch of influential writers like John Muir, Walt Whitman, Aldo Leopold, etc. good stuff.

Any advice for people who are afraid to pursue their passion?

Take the leap! If there is one thing that I’ve learned from thinking I could’ve died, it’s that nothing is ever promised. I see a lot of people my age that are already unhappy with their situations because they followed something other than their passions. If your passion is what drives you, identify it and figure out how to make it sustainable for yourself. We’re used to being asked the question “What do you want to do for a career?” Instead, the questions I ask my students are “What change do you want to make in the world?” and “What problems do you want to address in your lifetime?” I think these questions give you more explicit answers to doing what you love for work.

How can we support Environmental Learning for Kids (ELK)?

Well, if you’re interested in learning more about ELK, shoot me a Facebook message or something and we can chat, or check us out at www.elkkids.org. Sometimes I post fundraiser things, so if you have some spare change and are feeling giving, we’d surely appreciate it! Our youth never have to pay for any of our programming (including transportation, food, activities, etc.) so any donation helps. Also, encourage young people to go outside of their comfort zones, whether that’s literally outside or by doing something new. Be that person you had/wish you had growing up!

Lada: I met Justin while in college. He was an RA and was stuck out to me was how nice, caring, encouraging and humble he was. I always appreciated our interactions with myself and a friend affectionately nicknaming him Buddhabecause we'd greet each other saying waddup really fast lol. Thank you so much Justin for with all of us!!