Giselle San Roman graduated from ARC’s Sequoia & Kings Canyon summer course in 2017. She went backpacking for the first time—hiking among the world’s largest trees and spending 15 nights under the stars. With her teammates, she learned to cross streams, navigate using a topographical map, and cook burritos in the backcountry. The Sequoia & Kings Canyon […]
Feeling Proud of What I Accomplished
Joel Duarte is a sophomore in high school from Dos Palos, California with a radiant smile. While backpacking to Illilouette Falls or rafting the Merced River, Joel exuded great excitement and enthusiasm for Yosemite. On the 40-day course, he shared that he felt much brighter and more positive on the trails and in Wawona at […]
Connections Can Last Forever: 2009 ARC Graduate, Maria Valdez
Maria Valdez, known also as Imelda, first heard about Adventure Risk Challenge from a friend back in 2009 when she was a sophomore at Truckee High School. Unsure at first, she applied for the summer course completely unaware of what her experience with ARC would bring. She was excited to be out of her comfort […]
Free Like A Bird in Yosemite
High school senior, Rosenda Sanchez-Avina, entered the ARC summer course in Yosemite a quiet and shy student. At first, she kept to herself and was slow to become close with her peers. Rosenda said after the course, “One of the most challenging parts of ARC was being able to be open about myself and my […]
ARC Wild Bill Integrity Award Winner: Linda Yang
The Wild Bill Integrity Award was presented to Linda Yang on Saturday, September 10th in Yosemite Valley. Linda was a participant in Adventure Risk Challenge’s (ARC) 40-day Summer Immersion Course in Yosemite. She explored Yosemite’s natural beauty with eleven teammates this past summer, surrounded by waterfalls, alpine lakes, and spectacular granite cliffs, while bolstering her […]
Andrea Briceno, The Monarch Butterfly
Andrea Briceno was a quiet and often unenthusiastic student. Now beginning her sophomore year in high school as a recent participant of Adventure Risk Challenge’s (ARC) summer course, Andrea says there are so many positive changes for her this school year. Before ARC, Andrea had trouble focusing on her studies and was reluctant to try […]