Lauren is a Wilderness EMT and NOLS Wilderness Medicine Instructor. Originally from Los Angeles, Lauren discovered outdoor education through the Wilderness Orientation program and Recreation Department at UC Santa Cruz where she studied creative writing and Spanish literature. She has worked as a river, rock climbing, and mountaineering instructor for the Northwest Outward Bound school in Oregon as well as a Grand Canyon river guide. Lauren has spent her winters working urban EMS on ambulance crews in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties. She is currently a graduate student with UC Berkeley Educators for Equity.