Introduce yourself! What should the world know about you?
I’m Tammy VuPham, a Vietnamese-American, Northwest-based Southerner, and mountain guide-in-training.
What are you passionate about?
I love getting others into nature! I am an outdoor educator because I love developing people’s confidence through nature-based experiences. Outdoor recreation is a great way for us to take risks and grow as individuals.
What drives you as a person, a leader, and a storyteller? What or who shapes you?
So much of my identity is in my hyphens, yet I always feel disheartened when people choose to interact with only one aspect. I foster others’ leadership abilities because I see a vast space between the narratives that exist and those that are unacknowledged or intentionally erased. I strive towards a day where we view other as multifaceted beings.
Why did you apply to the Rethink Outside™ Fellowship? What are you hoping to learn from this experience?
I applied to the Rethink Outside™ Fellowship because I wanted to connect with like-minded outdoor leaders. I hope to learn how to share diverse experiences through multimedia, and how best to share them to a broad audience. I look forward to exchanging wisdom and lessons learned with the cohort.
How will the Rethink Outside™ Fellowship experience help you address the systemic barriers for access to, and representation / leadership of Black, Indigenous, and people of color in the movement to connect people and nature?
The Rethink Outside™ Fellowship will spark new ideas on how to bring others into decision-making positions. In a changing climate, our society will only be resilient when we connect ourselves to others and connect others to nature. When leaders bring those on the margin into the forefront, the collective knowledge we gain might save us from our current trajectory.
What is your favorite activity / place which connects you to nature and the outdoors?
I love backcountry travel! Whether it’s winter exploration on skis or summer ascents on a climbing rope, remote adventures make you appreciate nature’s magnitude.