Outdoor Odyssey

Maryssa McGuire

Maryssa has been with Outdoor Odyssey since 2003 when she served as a mentor. After mentoring for a second year, Maryssa volunteered as a Junior Counselor for two years and worked as a counselor for four summers and continued to come back to help in the following years. She currently serves as an Outdoor Odyssey board member.

After pursuing her graduate degree, Maryssa now works as the Director of Psychological and Student Services at Environmental Charter School in Pittsburgh, PA. She attributes her career choice to her time at Outdoor Odyssey, saying, “I changed my undergraduate major after being a counselor because I knew my passion was to work with children that needed an advocate.” In her role as Director, she develops programs that directly support students academically, socially, and emotionally. Maryssa says, “I learned to be a leader at Outdoor Odyssey, and my skills have grown as I integrate the philosophies into the educational world. The philosophies, especially genuine concern, drive my interactions with staff, parents, and students. I am very grateful to Outdoor Odyssey and the way it helped me grow, learn, and work with others.”

Pat Daley

Pat has been a part of Outdoor Odyssey since 2004 when he volunteered as a mentor. After mentoring, he served as a Junior Counselor, and eventually made it to the role of counselor for two years. Since then, Pat has worked with Outdoor Odyssey on programming and projects on property, even serving as a full time staff member for 6 months. Pat now serves on the Board of Directors.

Pat works as a Project Engineer for a large general contracting firm, the Trumbull Corporation, that builds large-scale heavy civil, power generation, water/wastewater, and transportation infrastructure projects through PA and surrounding states. Pat says that his time at Outdoor Odyssey has helped him advance in his career— “The benefits I’ve gained from Outdoor Odyssey were immediate and continue to last even now. As far as my industry goes, I am considered ‘young’ for the level of roles and responsibilities I have had thus far, being promoted beyond my peers numerous times.”

Pat says that the philosophy that helps him most in his professional life is the two most important words— genuine concern. These words have, “helped me to connect and lead people in almost every situation I’ve been in, as well as have meaningful, honest, and sometimes difficult conversations with my peers, subordinates, and superiors.” Reflecting on his time supervising dangerous operations for his company in Canada and filling a role usually given to a more seasoned employee native to the region in which they were working, he says, “I’m sure without Outdoor Odyssey’s lessons of leadership and genuine concern, I would absolutely not have earned their respect, nor been successful as a leader in that situation.”

Roxanne Noah

Roxanne worked as an Outdoor Odyssey counselor for two summers. After her time at camp, she went on to become a lawyer and is now a stay-at-home mom.

Roxanne says that Outdoor Odyssey changed her life for the better, saying, “What I have learned at Outdoor Odyssey has a tremendous impact on my daily life, be it as a mother, a wife, a friend or a colleague. It helps me be a better person, and I can therefore better fulfill my various roles.” The philosophies like the Iceberg Theory, 31 Flavors, and the 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 most important words have helped her understand herself and others better in her personal and professional life.

Within her own family, Roxanne says that the Potatohead philosophy helps her appreciate her children’s unique characteristics and that she, “can’t wait to help them try on new traits to shape their personalities as they grow up.” She has also used the Bedohave philosophy to help her and her husband identify and discuss their goals together.

Emily (Butina) McLaughlin

Emily volunteered as an Outdoor Odyssey mentor & junior counselor while she was in high school, and she went on to become a member of our Summer Staff for 3 years. She even served as the Head Counselor for one summer!

Emily has been the owner and operator of EMB Machining Services since 2017. In this important leadership role, Emily uses the 2 most important words— genuine concern— everyday as she leads her team. She attributes the successs of her organization to the trust and bond that she shares between herself and her team. She says it best when she says, “Care about people, and they will care about you. Simple and powerful.”

Emily shares that she would not be the person she is today without her impactful time spent at Outdoor Odyssey over the years and that she is thankful to have experienced such a great place with great people.

Jordan Zeunges

Jordan was a counselor at Outdoor Odyssey for two summers, and she came back to help with groups over the following two summers. Now she is a high school health and physical education teacher at Greater Latrobe Senior High School. She also has coached for over 10 years, and she recently started her own dog training business!

Jordan says that Outdoor Odyssey’s leadership philosophies have had an invaluable impact on her life. She says that, “I would not be the person I am today without camp, and I certainly would not be able to connect with my students on the level I do without my experience at Outdoor Odyssey.” Our lessons on eyeball-level leadership help her to be a great teacher and coach because she leads by example to her students. Jordan continues to carry the traits of humility, empathy, and perseverance with her in her personal and professional life.

Rachel Wolinsky, MD

Rachel has an extensive history with Outdoor Odyssey, starting as a mentor in 2010, a Junior Counselor in 2011, and spending the next four summer as a counselor and filling the role of Head of Logistics. She then went on to serve as an AmeriCorps volunteer with Outdoor Odyssey.

Rachel is now a Lieutenant in the United States Navy, serving in the Medical Corps. After her internship for general surgery at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, she is now completing the remainder of her surgical residency with UCSF Fresno. Upon graduation in 2025, she will return to active duty for at least 7 additional years. Rachel’s time at Outdoor Odyssey set her on the career path she is pursuing now. “I knew since early high school that I wanted to pursue a career in medicine, but it was Outdoor Odyssey (and specifically Semper Fi Odyssey) that jump-started my desire to join the military to care for our nation’s service members and their families. Because so many of Outdoor Odyssey’s philosophies are rooted in the Marine Corps/military, sometimes I don’t even remember that I still use them on a daily basis!”

Josh Dei

Josh started with Outdoor Odyssey in high school when he volunteered as a mentor for two years. He was a junior counselor for two summers and a counselor for 3 more summers while he was in college.

Josh then continued his work impacting others by serving as an AmeriCorps member for the City Year program in Miami. There he provided small group support in English and reading classrooms as well as free after school tutoring and extracurricular activities. He also participated in various service projects at many City Year partner schools to create fun activities and provide resources to the local communities.

Josh now works as a Program Associate for an international education and development non-profit called World Learning. With his team, he implements the U.S. Department of State’s Global Undergraduate Exchange Program which provides 250 college students from over 60 countries with the opportunity to study and develop leadership skills in the United States.

This career path was impacted by Outdoor Odyssey— Josh says, “From seeing the impact that mentorship and showing genuine concern for the personal growth of others can have, I was inspired to continue to work in community engagement and leadership development.” He says that the philosophy that has most shaped his professional life is the 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 most important words. “I try my best to pass on these principles as I work with some of the future leaders of communities from around the world.”

Ben Lim

Ben’s experience with Outdoor Odyssey began when he was a counselor during his college summers. He served as Lead Counselor for three of his four summers on the mountain.

Ben now serves our country as an Officer in the Marine Corps.

Ben’s four years with Outdoor Odyssey prepared him well for life after college in such a difficult and demanding career. “The things I learned, mistakes I made, and relationships I built taught me more than the two years I spent in military schoolhouses. A majority of the philosophies have applied to my career in various ways, but one that has stuck out to me the most is the four most important words, ‘In the beginning, God…’ Without the thought of how anything fits into a bigger picture, it’s difficult to avoid becoming frustrated at any minor inconvenience, especially for the younger Marines.”

Nicolle Sweitzer

During her college years, Nicolle spent 3 summers at Outdoor Odyssey as a counselor, serving as lead counselor for one of those summers.

After graduating from the University of Pittsburgh, Nicolle stayed in Pittsburgh to work as a paramedic. Her experience working within and leading teams at Outdoor Odyssey prepared her to excel in such a rigorous and demanding career. “When you are out of your comfort zone, reaching out to your support system does not mean you are not strong. Being a first responder in the medical field is 100% a team effort, and being able to rely on one another for help and support is vital.”

Reflecting on her years spent at camp, Nicolle says, “Spending my 3 summers during college at Outdoor Odyssey was the greatest decision I’ve ever made. The lifelong friendships, leadership skills, and memories I made are some of the most impactful in my life so far.” Nicolle’s passion for teaching and helping others has extended beyond her time on the mountain- she now teaches paramedic students part time, integrating the lessons she has learned from Outdoor Odyssey about stress management, humility, and TLS to better prepare the next generation of medic students.

Cody Sabo

Cody has been a part of Outdoor Odyssey since 2004 when he was a camper. He stayed in the program until he was old enough to be a mentor, which he did for two summers. After volunteering as a Junior Counselor for two summers, Cody became a counselor-in-training, which led him to come back as a counselor on the summer staff for two more summers.

Cody is serving as a commissioned officer in the United States Marine Corps undergoing primary flight training in Corpus Christi, TX.

Cody is a true testament to how powerful the impact of a positive mentor can be. The adversity he faced as a young child when overcoming the climbing tower, caving, and long hikes helped him realize that he can overcome many other challenges he may face in his life. “At 8 years old, the tower made my legs shake, the cave brought tears, and the homesickness hit especially hard during a never ending hike. As I struggled through all of these things though, there was always a mentor or counselor cheering me on or teaching philosophies to help me through it. As a Marine Officer in the thick of flight school, I often feel uncertain and alone like that 8 year old on the tower. Fortunately, Outdoor Odyssey has taught me that turning a difficult situation around is sometimes as simple as a deep breath, a smile, and reaching out to others.”

Kevin Wilson

Kevin started at Outdoor Odyssey as a mentor for two years and also volunteered as a Junior Counselor for a summer. Kevin spent the next three summers during his college years as a counselor, and he continues to help facilitate weekend groups and programs at the camp in his spare time.

Kevin works as a software systems engineer for Sourceree where he works on projects for clients ranging from the Department of Defense to commercial enterprises. Part of his position includes creating mobile applications, and he even made two apps for Outdoor Odyssey, MEPS Log and Outdoor Odyssey Mentor Manual, which can both be found on the App Store.

Kevin notes that Outdoor Odyssey and the philosophies he learned here have helped him greatly in his professional life, saying, “Outdoor Odyssey gave me the tools and experience to speak to a crowd, to build meaningful relationships in my professional life, and to keep focused and calm during stressful times. Through every professional development training I have participated in and every leadership book that I have read, I am always able to connect back to the Outdoor Odyssey philosophies. Being equipped with the knowledge early in my life and using it in real life leadership situations was by far the most important factor that lead to my personal and professional successes.”

Rachel Campitell

Rachel began her time at Outdoor Odyssey as a mentor for two years and a junior counselor for a summer. She continued on to be a counselor for the next two summers.

Rachel is currently attending medical school, and she knows that Outdoor Odyssey has set her up for success when facing the many challenges that such a difficult educational path may entail, saying, “Sometimes I read my mentor manual- that I’ve kept since high school- for inspiration when the pressure of medical school starts to take a toll on my focus, and each time I am overwhelmed with gratitude for T.S. Jones and Outdoor Odyssey for the irreplaceable memories and leadership tools that have shaped me into the person I am today.” Rachel says she still revises her BeDoHave, her personal mission statement, to, “make sure my priorities are shaping me to be a giver, not a taker, and I’ve taught many of my colleagues to do the same because the road to medicine is long and challenging.”

Tatiana Puschnigg

Tatiana volunteered as a mentor in the Outdoor Odyssey program while she was in high school, and a few years later she came back to the mountain as a counselor for two summers.

Tatiana is pursuing a Master’s degree in International Security Studies at George Mason University while also working as an analyst at a government consulting firm. After receiving her degree, she hopes to work for the State Department.

Tatiana reflects on how her experiences at Outdoor Odyssey and the bonds that she built while there have helped her to be a better team member and leader in both educational and professional settings. “Outdoor Odyssey has provided me with the opportunity to surround myself with others whose desire to help make a difference in the world. I would not be here without my ‘team’ in life or in work. I have learned how important relationships are with agape love and genuine concern, as well as the importance of having humility and knowing when to sacrifice- and when to ask for help- for the sake of your team.”

Lauren Sigut

Lauren participated in the inaugural year of the Outdoor Odyssey Junior Leadership program. She continued her time here by volunteering as a mentor for two years and a junior counselor for two more years. She was a counselor on our Summer 2020 staff and hopes to return as a counselor again next summer.

Lauren is a third year student at Georgia Institute of Technology studying Mechanical Engineering, with minors in Naval Science and Geophysics. She is a part of the Naval ROTC program and will commission as a Naval Officer upon graduation.

While Lauren has not yet entered the professional world, she is still able to apply lessons learned from Outdoor Odyssey while in school, specifically lessons about resiliency and stress management. “This past summer, we learned all about stress management and ‘Widening the Window’ which has helped a lot as a student during the past semester.” Her favorite philosophy, the 4 most important words, inspire her to do her best to inspire positive change in the world and keep working toward her future professional goals.