Base Camp: Montana
Faculty for Spring Semester, South America 2010
Faculty for Fall Semester, Southern Africa 2011, 2012, 2013

Aunge has long been enamored by the endless possibilities created through travel and experiential learning. From an early age Aunge was most comfortable outside, learning how things worked and connecting with people in different aspects of life. After graduating from Montana State University in 2004 in Civil Engineering with an emphasis in Bio-resources engineering, she decided Bozeman was home. Not quite ready to enter the engineering world, Aunge spent summers raft guiding, winters teaching skiing, and off seasons exploring different countries, mountain ranges and rivers. Eventually she discovered semester schools and set off for an apprenticeship with High Mountain Institute before landing at The Traveling School. She was instantly hooked by the power of immersive travel and the way teenagers lit up through meaningful academics. Being part of four TTS semester cohorts solidified Aunge’s passion for creating space for teenagers to be creative, engage with their surroundings, build leadership skills, and enhance their voice. She transitioned onto the administrative team in 2013 and has worn a variety of hats including Program Director, Academic Dean, and Head of School. While the titles morphed, Aunge consistently managed program logistics, faculty training, academics, student and parent communications, and office fun. Aunge believes in the power of teaching students to think outside the box to understand the interconnectedness of the world today and to seek knowledge through unique, experiential settings and real conversations. In addition to TTS, Aunge loves a good cup of coffee, exploring trails (hiking, biking and skiing) and seeking outdoor adventures with her husband and dogs.

Base Camp: New York
Board Member since 2020

Chris grew up in Western New York and spent summers on a lake in Muskoka, Canada where she first discovered her lifelong love of travel. As the mother of three daughters (one a TTS alumna), she is deeply committed to empowering women and is a firm believer that travel fosters wisdom and compassion. Chris works as a small business attorney and a non-profit consultant with a focus on helping mission-driven organizations thrive.

Base Camp: Maryland
Board Member since 2021

Kim works for MITRE, a non-profit science and engineering company. Growing up in a Southern Californian beach town, she encountered beachgoers speaking many different languages. This piqued her curiosity, eventually resulting in her earning a Ph.D. in Linguistics from UCSD. In 1975, her family hosted a Vietnamese refugee family, while her best friend’s family were recent immigrants from Iran. Bouncing between the three households, she developed a deep appreciation for the complexity of identity and culture. These twin concepts, intertwined with language, continue to fascinate her. In 2014, Kim’s daughter Lena joined a TTS semester in South America which reignited her passion for science and gave her the self-confidence to earn degrees in Physics, Mechanical Engineering and Naval Science. Seeing the powerful impact of TTS, Kim is committed to enabling more young women to have this opportunity.

Base Camp: Cape Town, South Africa
Board Member since 2024 

Base Camp: Oregon
Board Member since 2023
Alumna, Spring Semester, South America 2010 (TTS15)
Alumna, Fall Semester, Southern Africa 2011 (TTS18)

Cassy’s sense of adventure, love of traveling, and appreciation for experiential education came from her time with The Traveling School both as a student and a gap year intern. She studied Elementary Education and Psychology at Corban University and has held camp management, programming, and hospitality positions. She now works in career and technical education, focusing on strengthening and sustaining k-12 industry relationships in the Willamette Valley. She acts as a liaison between school districts, businesses, and workforce partners to create work-based learning opportunities that provide real-life on-the-job experiences for students. She’s committed to helping young people discover the opportunities available to them, while equipping them with the skills and confidence to succeed in those. She has a heart for non traditional approaches to education and is eager to serve The Traveling School in this capacity. In her free time, Cassy enjoys doing outdoor activities, eating food with people, doing anything creative, learning about home improvement and gardening, or planning her next adventure.

Base Camp: North Carolina
Board Member since 2023

John discovered TTS while volunteering at a local high school, and couldn’t wait to tell the family at dinner that night. Next thing you know his daughter Anne is in TTS22 and John became a passionate supporter of TTS and everything it stands for. He is a recently retired IT professional and travels widely, having visited all continents except Antarctica. He’s also worked as a radio disc jockey, a newspaper editor and a piano technician — career movements that offer a different form of travel, if you will, and a commitment to lifelong learning. John grew up in the Hudson Valley area of New York and enjoys yoga, hiking and skiing.

Base Camp: New York City
Board Member since 2023
Alumna, Spring Semester, South America 2011 (TTS17)

Zoe was a Traveling School student in Central America. Her time with the TTS stoked an already-strong desire to travel and gave Zoe the confidence to do it alone. Throughout college and law school, Zoe took trips across the world at every break and enjoyed creating memories—from working on an oyster farm in Australia to becoming a scuba instructor in Honduras. Zoe has a B.A. from Rice University and J.D. from the University of Texas. She likes to spend her free time sailing, scuba diving, and exploring new places.

Basecamp: Granada, Spain
Board member since 2025
Faculty: South America Spring Semester 2024 (TTS40)

Jenna comes to the TTS board with experience in international school management, language teaching, and nonprofit operations work in education and refugee services. The semester she spent teaching for TTS in South America impressed even deeper upon her the importance of global connectivity and community building as an element of leadership development – she joins the board with enthusiasm to preserve this experience for future students. Jenna has a passion for human geography that inspired her Master’s degree in Migration, Mobility, and Development Studies, and she is currently studying to develop her Spanish fluency in Castilian dialect. Jenna loves swimming, writing, backpacking, taking road trips through the Western US, and drinking (too much) coffee in the sun.

Basecamp: Durango, Colorado
Board member since 2025
Faculty: Western U.S. Spring Semester 2022 (TTS37), Southern Africa Fall Semester 2023 (TTS39), South America Spring Semester 2024 (TTS40)

A life-long educator passionate about social inquiry and experiential education, Meredith Nass currently serves as the Assistant Director of the Academic Hub at Fort Lewis College as a staff-instructor and success coach for students in need of extra academic support. Meredith taught three Traveling School semesters across the Western U.S., South America, and Southern Africa; experiences that deepened her commitment to global learning, equity in education, and passion for all that TTS is! She earned her undergraduate degrees in Ethnic Studies and Women & Gender Studies and a Master’s in Education from the University of Colorado Boulder. Meredith deeply believes in the power of individualized support for young people to create meaningful educational experiences which is why she’s honored to serve on the Board of Directors for TTS. Right now, Meredith is excited about an improv-comedy class she is teaching to college Freshman to help them build community and find their place in school. Outside of work, Meredith enjoys being in the mountains, mountain biking, dipping in the river, and watching the sun set in Durango!

Basecamp: San Francisco, California
Board member since 2025
Faculty: Southern Africa Fall Semesters 2013 & 2014 (TTS22 & 24), South America Spring Semester 2013 (TTS23) Central America Spring Semester 2015 (TTS25)

Sarah White is a visionary academic director for decolonial futures with 15+ years facilitating experiential education across 50 countries. She holds a PhD in Anthropology and Social Change, along with two Master’s degrees. Sarah led four consecutive semesters and designed curriculum for following semesters. Her leadership cultivates the radical imagination, creating student-centered programming rooted in the notion of prefiguration. Inspired by grassroots social movements and Indigenous communities around the globe, Sarah specializes in offering theoretical foundations and concrete tools for students to enact system change for collective liberation. She is a dancer, martial artist, loves reading YA fiction, and swimming in the warm waters of the Banda Sea.