Written by Katie Bishop, Assistant Director of Financial Aid  

When my husband and I moved to Alaska five years ago, we both knew there was no turning back.  Alaska provided us with a new zest for life and created a fire in our souls yearning for adventure.

Having always been drawn to the mountains, we fell in love with Alaska immediately.  Our weekends quickly began filling up with hiking, camping and road trips.  Every road lead us to a trail, every hike lead us to nature’s amazing hidden gems and every summit provided a new view, a different perspective and the itch for the next adventure.  I thought that nothing could top summiting mountains whenever I wanted.  Little did I know, there was more adventure to come!

I started working at Alaska Pacific University (APU) about two and a half years ago, and it didn’t take me long to know that I had found another one of Alaska’s hidden gems.  Not only have I met some of the most authentic, passionate and kind people to date at APU but those individuals have inspired, helped and encouraged me to exit my comfort zone.  I started going to the climbing wall and it wasn’t long after that I was introduced to ice-climbing and again, fell in love.

If I am not in the office or out in the mountains with my husband, I am trying to squeeze in adventure wherever and whenever I can.  A long work week’s best cure, in my eyes, is a walk in Alaska’s wilderness.