Jenna Raleigh-Takes Life One Adventure at a Time
By Brooke McDowell

Jenna Raleigh is an adventurous person with many unique experiences to her name. Raleigh, a senior Marketing major with an emphasis in Sales/Sales Management, adds much spunk to the Missouri State Marketing Department. Growing up in Wildwood, Missouri (just outside St. Louis), her love of the outdoors developed at an early age and she’s been enjoying nature ever since. Raleigh’s interests consist of any outdoors activity, which includes everything from snow skiing to snorkeling, hiking, biking, scuba diving, and traveling.

Like many college students, Raleigh works while being a student. Her school year job is being a server at Bambino’s Italian Restaurant, but during her summers, Raleigh takes on quite different challenges. She has been a camp counselor at camps in Maine and California.

You might ask why Maine and California, two extreme locations within the United States? Well, Raleigh’s adventure started after her senior year of high school when she traveled with high school and college friends to Belize and Guatemala for a month. In South America, Raleigh backpacked and developed a love for scuba diving. Then an opportunity arose for Raleigh to be a swim coach in Maine for the summer of 2003. She jumped on this chance as she was already guard certified (lifeguard and CPR trained).

In Maine, Raleigh learned about Catalina Island Camps, which is an environmental program camp that teaches about biodiversity and living sustainably. This camp, in essence, is a place for kids to have fun and enjoy the environment. The overall program is called Catalina Environmental Leadership Program (CELP). Raleigh worked as a snorkel and kayak instructor for the 2004 and 2005 summers at the Catalina Island Camps.

Catalina Island Camp is located 20 miles off of the coast of Los Angeles, California, on the west-end of Catalina Island. Raleigh calls her experience of working at Catalina Island Camps, “The best job in the world!” because she was paid to do the things she loves-snorkeling and kayaking. Raleigh particularly enjoyed living on a beautiful island while meeting and working with small groups of people. She learned to push herself emotionally and physically, learned valuable leadership skills, and learned more about the environment and recycling. Raleigh described her experiences saying, “There is something special about being a part of an isolated environment. Each day just becomes more rewarding than the next.”

Raleigh developed lasting friendships with the 40 staff members. Raleigh stays in contact with them and they regularly travel to see each other. Raleigh has amazing memories to last a lifetime from her summer camp experiences. When asked if she recommends her experiences to others a wholehearted, “Yes!” is her answer. She adds, “You’re constantly learning more about yourself and others each day.”

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Raleigh’s graduation from Missouri State is quickly approaching, and she looks forward to her next adventure. Raleigh just accepted a job in Montana, working for Montana Conservation Corps, which is part of Ameri Corps, the Peace Corps in America. She leaves on May 22, just three days after graduation, to do trail work involving the preservation of the environment. Following her six months of work with the Montana Conservation Corps, Raleigh travels to Europe where she has attained a six-month Visa for Great Britain. Raleigh plans to find a place to live and then get a job while visiting exciting sites and gaining new experiences in another country. 

Raleigh thrives on new and exciting experiences. She plans to have two full years of unique experiences before finding a “real job.” The Missouri State University student says she doesn’t quite know what her ideal job is, but that everything is a learning experience and she does everything to get to the next place. Her long-term goal is to combine her love of the environment with business. One might now ask how? That answer is yet to be discovered, but Raleigh is constantly reading, listening, and doing research to find out what she wants to do next. Raleigh believes that her experiences will lead her right into her dream job.     

If you are interested in learning more about the overall CELP Program, visit www.celp.net. If you want more specific information about Catalina Island Camps, go to www.catalinaislandcamps.com.

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