1990

2005

"So...I left Fremont to attend Hope College hoping to Save All The Whales, which many of you might remember. After discovering I had to take Organic Chem., I decided an English major was more my style and left it up to someone else to save them--although I am still incredibly eco-conscious and don't eat anything with eyeballs. I spent my junior year studying at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland where I loaded up on various English courses and traveled for a month or so around Europe. After Hope I moved to Ann Arbor where my English major was put to good use waiting tables,teaching ESL at Jackson Prison, and running various summer programs for inner-city youth. Enrolled in an M.A. program for literature; I hated it, so I decided to be a high school English teacher instead and went through the certification program at EMU. Got certified (now I'm 26), took a mountaineering/rock climbing course thru the National Outdoor Leadership School in the Cascades...fell head over heels in love with the mountains. I opened up the map and applied for teaching jobs anyplace with altitude. Oh--in between all of this I moved to Seattle briefly (don't ask) and backpacked as many places in the USA as I could--New England, the Rockies, CA, Alaska, and the Southwest. I ended up getting my first real teaching job in Lake Tahoe, California; I moved in with a stranger and ended up marrying him 3 years later. Spent one year in Tahoe, left to move to Longmont (outside of Boulder), Colorado where I currently teach high school English (my husband, Geoff, is a teacher, too) and coach track/cross. Life is good. Since we've time in the summer to travel we've been lucky enough to backpack around Central America and have been to 5 countries in Africa. We're saving our pennies so next year we can take time off for an around the world trip to SE Asia, more Africa, and South America. In the meantime, we're loving life in Colorado and spend free time hiking, backpacking, mountain biking, tele-mark skiing, snowboarding...and any other outdoor activity you can think of. If you're ever in the area, give me a ring!! I just used this website to get in touch with Cindy Johansen; we haven't spoken since graduation! I hope you're all well, happy, and healthy. Peace and adventures" - Cara Luchies-Schroeder